My New Workshop!

And finally, I'm so very happy to announce this over at twopeasinabucket.com....

Relive the magical memories you’ve shared with loved ones as Garden Girl Nancy Damiano takes you on a creative journey documenting your family vacations. From America’s favorite theme parks, cruises, road trips to day trips – we’ve got you covered! (Note:  This workshop covers domestic travel only – we’ll tackle Europe & the world in a future workshop.)

 So whether you’re still in the planning stages of this year’s vacation or sitting on stacks of old photos, Nancy’s got a plan for you! Join her as she guides you through a step-by-step process to divide, conquer and scrapbook those vacation photos. 

Included in the workshop are 50 brand-new scrapbook pages showcasing a variety of family destinations, helpful, printable PDF's and 5 brand new videos to walk you through the ins and outs of organizing and scrapbooking your vacation.  Each video covers Nancy's approach to tackling vacation layouts, her perspective on using design in your pages and the creation of a layout from start to finish.

Scrapbooking Family Vacations with Nancy Damiano

It was an amazing experience and I truly hope that you enjoy the class. It's a collection of some of my favorite vacation layouts and stories. Not sure if the class is for you? Shoot me an email or comment right here and I'll answer any of your questions!

Bella Blvd Sneak Peek

Welcome Bella's Birthday Boy collection, new for Summer CHA'12. Love the brand new washi tapes and large chip letters in a beautiful shade of true blue! This is going to be a favorite.

Check back each day for a new reveal. To see the entire collection, visit the Bella Blvd blog.

Yankee Doodle

Happy Fourth of July! We're out the door to escape this heatwave and spend some time with family in the pool. A quick layout I made for the Bella Blvd blog that I thought would be perfect for today. These pictures were taken on the 4th exactly one year ago. Here's to hoping that my niece and nephew have gotten the hang of sparklers since then.

Click right on the pic below and enter code SHIPAT40 for a nice free shipping sale from Two Peas if you're headed over there.

Stay cool. Enjoy a BBQ and r-e-l-a-x. That's the plan!

Stars are a Silhouette cut (3D Stars).

New Video: American Crafts Shoreline

I have a new video that just went up over at Two Peas for Memory Keeping Monday. Take a peek at how to create a summertime pie chart with American Craft's Shoreline collection.

Here's the finished page...

copyright. twopeasinabucket.com

And some close ups.

It came together pretty quickly, once I decided where to place the photos. I'd love to use this format for some of my travel pages as well.

I love the bold colors in Shoreline. The small wave pattern is a favorite that I can see myself using over and over again - for beach, pool and waterpark photos.

Be back soon, working on some patriotic layout I hope to share for the fourth. In the meantime, I'm trying hard to stay cool (which means scrap more).

Light a Sparkler

This right here...
is where I've been. 40 pages done. It's for a special project and the details will be out very soon.

I just keep looking at that pile and I can't believe I did all of those in the past few weeks. Each one very different in design + color + special little somethings. You'd think I'd be totally burnt on creating, but I'm not. I ended up with a notebook full of sticky notes and ideas that I didn't get to use. I love the process of design and creating, but I've never pushed myself like that. It was a good experience.

Now, the technical side of the project, ugh, don't even get me started. I'm starting to think that I literally repel all technology. Everyone said "get a Mac, they're indestructible." Guess who was back at the Apple store two weeks after getting a new MacBook? The kid behind the counter said he couldn't figure out what I did to it, but it was definitely dead. They didn't even bother fixing it, just gave me a new one and sent me on my way. A week later I killed the video camera. Repel. It's what I do.

So give me a sec and I'll be back with more pages, news and some pics of what our family has been up to. In the meantime, enjoy the holiday and light a sparkler for me. I'm just about ready to put this project to bed.

He Loves to Read + Winners

This just went up in the 2Peas gallery this week. It's about a boy and his love of books. I love it when I can catch him just "being" and he's so into what he's doing, he doesn't even notice me. Capturing a little slice of life.

I just added layers and layers of patterns and alphas and stuff. Keeping the linear look, but with interesting little details (I hope!). If you want to take a peek at my supply list, you can find that here.

First up, the winner of a spot in Amy Heller's Kaleidoscope class is...
Love Summer Fresh. Cannot wait to see what you create. 2peas name: senoritascrapper

And the winner of the Echo Park collection of her choice is: Such an adorable LO! Very cute! I would love to win Hello Summer! Ryann Salaman.


Congratulations winners, I'll be in touch with how to collect your prizes!

2Peas Garden Hop

It's that time again...the twopeasinabucket.com Garden Girls hop! Remember to stop by each and every blog for a peek into what's new and inspiring + fun giveaways.

A sneak of a layout I have coming soon to the Garden. I worked with a mix of patterns from different manufacturers to create a page about my son and his love of books.

This is my favorite part of the hop. I'm inspired by so many Peas, that it's hard to choose every month. I picked this layout by Pea mommy2tate because it's so bright, happy and reminds me that summer is oh, so close. She has an amazing linear and colorful style that I love. You can check out the rest of her gallery here.

I don't think I can narrow it down to just five products this month. There are entire collections that I just got and am in *love* with. So right now on top (and all around) my desk are:

Summer Fresh by Simple Stories. I'm using it for everything from Disney to preschool pages. Totally in love with this old-fashioned summer feel.

And because I've never met an office supply I didn't like, the 9 to 5 collection by October Afternoon was a must have.

Indie Chic by My Mind's Eye is perfect for all of my tropical vacation photos. I almost convinced myself that I 'needed' all 146 pieces of this collection, but I held back. A little.

This one I don't have yet, but it's in my bucket. Let Freedom Ring by Pebbles. Love this matching tape and the paper is just as beautiful. I'm going to use it for the Fourth, but also for some cruise pictures and baseball too.

Sweet Day by Echo Park is so pretty that I'm having a hard time using it. I keep taking it out of the package and then putting it back because I can't decide which combination of patterns I love the best. And it has this pretty fabric feel to it too.

For anyone who needs help with color in scrapbooking, I'd recommend Amy Heller's Through the Kaleidoscope class. It's top notch and I've got one spot to give away!

Click to sign up + for more information

The giveaway starts today! Just leave me a comment telling me what your favorite collection is right now and be entered to win. I'll draw a winner a week from today and announce it right here. If you've already signed up or are just about to, no worries. Your class fee will be refunded. Best of luck!

And now on to the hop...go to  Wendy Sue Anderson's blog  to see what she has for you! If you get lost, here's a list you can follow.

Shimelle Laine 

Jen Gallacher 

Amy Tan  

Jill Sprott

Lynn Ghahary 

Amy Heller 

Laura Craigie

Kimber McGray

Nancy Damiano (you are here)

Wendy Sue Anderson

Becky Novacek 

Wilna Furstenberg  

Shannon Tidwell
Kandis Smith

Two Peas Blog

Echo Park Hop

Welcome to the Echo Park Paper Design Team Blog Hop! Today the Echo Park Paper Design Team is showcasing projects from the "Hello, Summer" collection. I made this fun summer page by mixing patterns and stickers from the line.

You can see the entire collection here.

One of my favorite parts is this small chipboard frame filled with letter stickers. It has the names of DS and his cousins, the year and then the random word "sun". It reminds of the old-fashioned plastic word puzzles I played with as a kid. The pinwheel was layered with embossed vellum and placed on a thin wooden stick. This bright page came together quickly with the help of Hello Summer!

Be sure to follow the blog hop list below as you hop from one blog to the next. ONE winner will be selected from each blog to receive an Echo Park Paper collection kit of their choosing. To qualify for the kit, leave a comment with your email address and the kit you'd like to win. Comments are due by midnight EST 5/27/12 to qualify. The winner will be announced on each blog 5/28. Good luck!

Leslie Ashe: 

http://leslieashe.blogspot.com/

Linda Auclair: 

http://elendae.wordpress.com/

Nancy Damiano: 

http://www.thepaperorchard.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Gallacher: 

http://jengallacher.blogspot.com/

Lowri McNabb: 

http://www.papervinenz.com/

Kandis Smith: 

http://www.mycreativetreasury.blogspot.com/

Wendy Sue Anderson: 

http://www.wendysueanderson.blogspot.com/

Link back to Echo Park Paper: http://www.echoparkpaper.typepad.com/

My Boy

Oh this little one gives me a run for the money. Much too observant and sarcastic and daring for just six. And yet, my life without him + the challenge + love would be a boring shade of gray (kinda like my hair is getting). 

Happy belated Mom's Day to my readers. It's just been that kind of week. ;)

Bella Babies - Boy + Girl

I just realized that I haven't shared many of my Bella projects here lately. This first one is Nico @ 6 months old. I think I've had this 8x10 photo in my stash for almost 6 years. I guess waiting for a good baby line to come along and I wasn't quite sure how to work the single enlarged photo into a layout. Bella to the rescue!

click to see the  Bella Baby Boy Collection

The bold orange and blues complement the photo and I love how subtle the "baby" part of the layout is. I think it really lets the photo shine. I punched a 1-1/2 hole at the top of the photo where there was just "dead space" and add some flags and stickers. I think it adds a cute touch without overpowering the picture.

And then I was assigned the Baby Girl collection to work with...

click to see the Bella Baby Girl Collection

 Wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it since 1. I have no baby girl and 2. I didn't take very many pictures of my niece as an infant. And then I noticed the monkeys and they reminded me of these two silly little kids that I know. I had the photos that told the story and now cute embellishments to go with it. I love when it's easy like that! I love this girl collection and I think that the non-themed sides of the paper are beautiful and go with just about anything.

I am buried, seriously buried in a huge project right now. I should take a sneak peek of the stack of layouts on my desk. Now let me go make another of the 40 (yup 40) layouts I need to finish up. Ack!

Studio Calico 35mm Kit & NSD!

Happy National Scrapbook Day everyone! I'm actually scrapping today which is really unusual on a Saturday. I had to get in on the fun over at 2Peas though and join my scrappy Peas today. There are hops, challenges, prizes and chatting going on if you want to check it out.

This is my finished layout made with the Studio Calico 35mm kit. I avoided the stamp and the spritzing thing (because I'm really bad at both!), but I tried to be as artsy as I could. While maintaining clean, linear lines and big photos since that's more my style. I like the bold contrasting colors and textures. This is definitely not a combination I would've put together myself, so the kit did the hard part. Love that.

Love the hexagon fabric tiles that were in the kit. I turned them over and covered them with washi tape for a different look. The "magic color" alphas by Heidi Swapp were pretty cool too. They remind me of the Mistables products by Pink Paislee that I've worked with in the past.

Okay, off to finish up my last NSD project and then on to enjoy the weekend! I hope you're having a great NSD in your part of the world.

Neapolitan + Winners

I've got so much to share, I'm not sure I can fit it all into this post. First, let me start out with some winners - that's always fun

The winner of the Two Peas in a Bucket Sassy Workshop with Shannon Tidwell is:
Thanks for all your great inspiration. I love classes, so would love to win.
My Pea name is thesnowwhite
and the winner of the Echo Park collection of her choice:
Liz said...

Your card is fab! As is all your work! I love the This & That collection along with this Note To Self! But my fav might be the all so versatile many Dots & Stripes collections!

Thank you everyone so much for commenting! I'll be sending an email to the winners in a minute on how to collect your prizes.

Copyright twopeasinabucket.com.
Here's a complete supply list in case you're curious.

I just made this layout for the 2Peas gallery using the Dear Lizzy Neapolitan line. I don't usually like pastel colors, but these are delicious. They remind me of a Creamsicle. I cut up the polaroid paper to add the border on the bottom, added some chipboard and washi tape to anchor it down. Add lots of layers of pattern for color and fun, with a touch of wood to texture it up. Now that I look at it, it's so much pinker than I usually gravitate to - but I like it!

This layout is why I love scrapping out of chronological order. Now if I were all caught up, I wouldn't be able to re-live Nico's First Easter. These days it's all about Legos, sword fights and Justin Bieber haircuts (don't ask). So it's good to go back in time when I could carry him and pinch those chubby cheeks.

And on my desk today...
It's my very first time working with a Studio Calico kit. I'm not really a stamper or a spritzer, but hopefully I can do this beautiful kit some justice. Look for my completed pages on their blog this Thursday. Wish me luck!

Two Peas Hop

It's time for the twopeasinabucket.com Garden Girls Digest. Be sure to stop by each and every blog for a peek into what's new and inspiring + fun giveaways here and there.

A sneak peek at a layout I have coming soon to the gallery. It was fun to work with these soft, pretty colors in the Dear Lizzy's Neapolitan line. It reminded me so much of Nico's first Easter...

I love this layout by Pea Jennifer Barksdale. I love the bold colors, the layers of patterned paper, the pics and the story - it's beautiful!  Everytime I look at it, I see another interesting little detail.

 

You can see more of Jennifer's work in her Two Peas gallery here.

We have a new workshop over a Two Peas and this time it's Shannon Tidwell's turn to show us how to scrap sassy. I think that perfectly describes her fun, colorful style.  And I have a spot to giveaway! Just leave a comment and be entered to win. Don't forget to leave your PeaName too!

You can sign up here. And if you win the drawing --- no worries, we'll refund your class fee.

Are you looking to add something extra to your pages? More color, more punch, more pizazz? Are you ready for a fresh and energizing approach? Then come scrap with me, Garden Girl Shannon Tidwell. I love making big and bold pages that are full of life, but not full of time. (someone has to do the laundry!) I’m going to give you tips, tricks, and ideas so that you can make pages that pop no matter your style. Together we’ll cover five chapters, with over 50 layouts, including two themed albums!

and now HOP for more giveaways and posts... 

Julie Campbell
Wilna Furstenberg  

Jen Gallacher 

Shannon Tidwell
Becky Novacek
Amy Heller 

Lynn Ghahary
Wendy Sue Anderson
Shimelle Laine
Lisa Truesdell Nancy Damiano (you are here)
Jaime Warren 
Amy Tan  

Two Peas Blog

Echo Park Hop!

Hi there and welcome to the Echo Park Blog Hop! I'm a few days late posting this so bear with me here.  I had major computer problems this past weekend and thought I had lost my hard drive. One (not so quick) visit to the MAC store, much hair pulling, one new laptop and we're back in business.

So here we go, I created this card with the Echo Park Note to Self line. I love the masculine colors and textures in this line. I created this card by cutting out a heart with my Silhouette out of a scrap piece of cork paper from the line. The stripe paper added a pop of color, while the sticker and key remain the focus of the card. I cut the key and hearts with the Silhouette as well, adding some ball chain for texture. Two white buttons finish off the card.

One winner will be chosen from each blog to receive an Echo Park collection of their choice. To enter, leave a comment with your favorite EP release by midnight (EST) 4/22/12. Winners will be chosen on each blog on 4/23/12. Good luck!

Now HOP to: Jen's blog for another chance to win. (Scroll back to Monday's post). And if you get lost along the way, here are the rest of the blogs:

Leslie Ashe
Linda Auclair
Jennifer Gallacher
Lowri McNabb
Kandis Smith
Tamara Tripodi
Wendy Sue Anderson

Favorite Places Video + Winners

I've just finished up another video over at 2Peas. My assignment was to do a page about my favorite places. I immediately thought - DISNEY!, but then I really thought about it and came up with something a little different.

This page documents all of those places close to home that we visit all the time (or at least once a year). I love to mix up photos from different places and times like this. I think they make for interesting pages.

For a look at how I created the page, take a peek at the video. Oh, and try not to cringe when I use an entire sheet of October Afternoon paper for the 2" border at the bottom. I've actually gotten emails expressing outrage over the waste! This confirmed paper hoarder was just trying to use one of the 5 sheets I've collected along the way. Ha! By all means, cut a 2" inch strip and create your page on a white cardstock background. I do that all the time.

I'd also like to take a moment to announce the winners for some of my previous give-aways. Sorry I got so behind in blogging that I forgot to pick these earlier!

WINNER of a spot in the 2Peas Stampers' Workshop is:
Peaname: Cherrypicker

WINNER of an Echo Park collection is:
Patti @ mawdog1

WINNER of the $10 2Peas Gift Certificate is:
Peaname: sillypea

Thank you all so much for commenting, I'll be in touch with how to collect your prizes!