2024 National Scrapbooking Day (Month?)

Today's post showcases scrapbook pages made in response to the NSD challenges on the message board I frequent. 

There were 7 challenges for making scrapbook pages.  Several called for use of sketches from the pagemaps website. Here is what I made for the seven challenges.

Challenge #1: Favorite Crafty Snack Food 

I chose "Taco" from the list of options.  Of course, choices were made BEFORE we knew what they stood for!  It turned out that Tacos meant we were to use: cream card stock, half circles, and fibers or fringe of some sort. As you can see, I included all required elements on this page about the train to New Delhi.  I really like the paper and gold fringe that I used since they speak to the flavor of India.  I DO wish I had raised the fringe a bit higher on the page, but I was trying to use it to create a bunch more "half circles" - and then it was too late.

Challenge #2: the first of three sketch challenges

Here's the sketch - from pagemaps:

And here's my page:

As you can see, I stuck pretty close to the sketch - mostly just changed the shape of the title, though the lower blue border is a bit more elaborate than in the original sketch.  And I double-matted the focal with more narrow mats.

Challenge #3: Before/After or Then/Now

It took me awhile to come up with a project to illustrate a before and after, but I REALLY liked the result!  I decided to focus on using up some white scraps - the before would be those scraps, and the after would be the projects I created.  I had so much fun creating the projects, and they turned out great!!!  And I really like the way the scrapbook pages turned out, too.

First page:

I chose to make my "before" page pretty colorless.  Even the butterfly embellishments are simply black and white - highlighting the plain white card stock that I started with.  

2nd Page:

As you can see, the next page is VERY colorful with all the projects I made starting with plain WHITE scraps!  Colored butterfly embellishments reinforce the colorful theme of this page.

Challenge #4: This or That

Once again I had to pick before knowing what I was choosing.  I chose "Spring".  It turned out that simply meant I needed to have flowers on my layout.  You can see the dual page at the top of this post.  This is a close up of the first page - complete with die cut frog and bees (Elizabeth Craft dies - the bees came with her Honey Bear).  

Second Page:

As you can see, this page simply adds a collage of more waterlily pics - and a couple more of those die cut bees.

Challenge #5: another sketch challenge

Here is the sketch - again from pagemaps

And my resulting page:

As you can see, I modified this sketch a bit, but not too much.  I started with 2 pictures instead of three and matted them on a larger mat than shown.  The title was from a fussy cut picture of a "welcome" stone.  I chose to stencil a bit of the background because my plain card stock seemed a bit TOO plain.  Two of the embellishments are a cluster of flowers similar to what was shown - except that I moved them around a little.  The third was replaced with the hot air balloon.  I was SO glad to be able to use that hot air balloon embellishment on this page.  I had bought it thinking to use it on the next page in the album and there hadn't been room for it! 

Challenge #6 - another sketch

As you can see, this one is again from page maps.  Here's my resulting page:

I REALLY struggled with this page, and it's not my favorite.  I didn't think it would be a big deal to replace the two photos with one, but I needed it to be a bit larger than the two together and it threw the proportions off.  I liked the multicolored paper I used for the large banner - and various other places around the page - but had a TERRIBLE time finding other papers/card stock that I liked for the rest of the elements.  I used small pictures in place of the flower embellishments, and I don't think that was as effective as I'd hoped.  I really wasn't that happy with the page when I was done.  I wish the background had been lightly stenciled or something.  I ended up finding a border strip of road signs in my stash that I cut and placed along the right side of the page.  I think that helped, but I didn't take an updated picture.

Challenge #7: Pick an ANIMAL

Once again I didn't know what I was picking ahead of time.  I chose the leopard.  It turns out that meant I needed to include the following on my page: 

• Main Colors: Yellow/Gold, Black
• Paper/Card stock: 4 or more patterned papers, 1 or more card stock
  
• General theme of photos & layout: nighttime, speed, stealth, cat - from that list I chose "cat" - specifically tigers!  The page also deals some with stealth.
  
• Embellishments: Polka Dots (can be part of the patterned paper)
• # of Photos: 1 or more
  

It was quite a challenge.  It took me a long time to figure out what pictures to use for this layout - decided to do a dual page layout.  

Then I had to find the patterned papers I needed.  I finally took black and white papers and inked them with distress oxide inks to get the colors I needed!  

Here are the finished pages.  I started with only papers, card stock, and printed materials (photos, journaling, title).  In the end, I decided I wanted to add some arrow brads that I had in my stash.  I decided that after taking the first photos, however, and didn't want to go to all the work to re-photograph the dual page, so just re-took the photo of page one.

Dual Page:

First Page:

2nd Page:

Re-done first page: