Always Laugh

As soon as I saw the orange plaid patterned paper in the Like Father, Like Son collection from Fancy Pants, I had to use it with this picture of my nephew!

From Flamingo Scraps:  Fancy Pants Like Father, Like Son patterned papers, Pink Paislee Expressions alphas in orange
Other Supplies: Star punches, EK Success binder edge punch, edge distresser, navy blue fine point sharpie pen
Photo by: Jenny Skibo, Passion for Life Photography 

This layout came together so quickly thanks to another fabulous sketch over on Sketchy Thursdays!!  And if you haven't checked out this great paper line from Fancy Pants, make sure you go visit the store and get some before it's all gone!!

My First Adventures in Steampunk!!!!

Once upon a time, I had a career in Historic Preservation.  I was an architectural historian and historian, and while I worked on almost every conceivable type of building, landscape, district, and structure -- I found myself drawn to industrial buildings and structures like textile mills and bridges.  Maybe that is why I am so fascinated by the Steampunk trend in scrapping.  It reminds me of a time when huge, noisy, smoking machines were housed in vast buildings with lavish architectural details and when bridges were works of art and not just a way to get across water.

Steampunk to me is the iron fist in the velvet glove, a steel magnolia, it is, well it is the movie The Wild, Wild West with Kenneth Branagh wearing a brocade waistcoat while manuevering his outlandish mechanical inventions.  It is chainlink and pearls, gears with jewels, it is wings on things that were never meant to fly.  Steampunk is hard and soft, vintage and futuristic.  I may never really master Steampunk as a scrapping style, but I am sure going to have fun trying!

This is my first foray into Steampunk as I braved the Steampunk Challenge on Scrapbook.com in July -- Prima paintable, lots of Tim Holtz distress ink, transparency of an industrial scene, metal elements from Flamingo Scraps Steampunk/Vintage grab bag, distressed, embellished, and inked picture is of my great grandmother

And this is my second for the same challenge this month -- Webster's Pages Seaside Retreat, dimensional seahorse stickers with Tim Holtz grunge board wings and gears, elements highlighted with Crackle Glossy Accents, image of woman and seahorse from internet images is printed on canvas, covered with Antique Linen distress stickles, and embellished.

Since then I have been experimenting with different materials and textures to create Steampunk embellishments of my own!

My experiments in Steampunk Embellishments!

Ranger metal slide mount frame with glass plates and keepsake pocket insert -- vintage image of gears with tiny gears in the pocket and a gear on a jump ring and torn strip of silk for finishing touches

Similar embellie with shell image, tiny shells in pocket, and shell on curled wire and vintage lace

Vintage watch  crystals with tiny watch pieces embedded in them using clear and sepia Glossy Accents -- Crackle Glossy Accents creates a fabulous effect as well!

Whether you go all out with Steampunk, or just incorporate some details into your layouts and paper crafting,  it is an exciting and fun style to play with.  It will really stretch your imagination and creativity and add fabulous texture and dimension to any project!!  And just look around you -- the Steampunk influence is showing up everywhere -- fashion, home decor, and my personal favorite, the new Blue Plate Mayonnaise commercials!!!

FOUND: Super cute Prima Animal Bash projects!!

Animal Bash is a paper line from Prima... a super cute one too!!  We carried it in the not too distant past and loved it.  In fact, we gave some away here on the blog and Heather won it!!  You might recognize Heather on here... we featured her once before!! She just finished using all of it and look at all the awesome stuff she made with just that one set of Prima papers:

More info about layout here.

More info about layout here.

More info about card here.

More info about card here.

More info about layout here.

More info about layout here.

More info about layout here.

Coming soon to the store... some of the new lines of Prima patterned papers of course!  The Jack & Jill collection... the Annalee collection... the Paisley Road collection... and some of the Fairy Flora collection.   If you haven't followed us yet on Facebook, make sure you do... we post an update when items are listed in the store!!

Thank you so much to Heather for letting us share her beautiful layouts and cards on the blog today!!   If you haven't checked out Heather's blog before, go swing by and leave her some love!! :)

Guest Blogger Kia: Cool Challenge # 4

 I can't believe how fast the Flamingo Scraps version of Scraptathlon has gone!  This is our last challenge so I wanted to make it one to remember.  If you missed the original post describing this challenge, here's a link.


Cool Challenge #4 ~ Steam - Peter Gabriel.
The hottest trend to come out of CHA has got to be Steampunk!  Your challenge this week is to find a way to meld the past with the future in a LO. As Steampunk melds the Victorian era with science fiction, what can you find from the past that meshes with your future?

Required Item:
This week's required item is Metal.  You must use something metallic in your Layout.

Here's a sample layout from Amanda:

A note from Amanda:  I'm not sure how "steampunk" this really is now that it's finished... but it is an old layout, using a key and a little vintage looking right?!  This photo is of my grandparents and my thoughts about the photo.
From Flamingo Scraps:  Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante patterned papers, Prima white flower and Say it in Crystals with Flowers bling.
Other supplies used: American Crafts grey thickers and presicion pen, Martha Stewart ribbon loop punch and Making Memories metal heart, key and word "love"

All Layouts must be uploaded to the Flamingo Scraps blog(using Mr. Linky) or Facebook page no later than 8pm EDT on August 29, 2010* to be eligible.

On sale this week at Flamingo Scraps ......Selected Graphic 45 tags, frames and borders for Steampunk Debutante and Hallowe'en in Wonderland, also Steampunk/Vintage Embellishment Grab Bags and brand new from Summer CHA - Vintage Embellishments from Prima!

The winner of  Week # 3's challenge drawing is:

Stacey Rodriguez!  Congratulations!  Please send your shipping info to flamingoscraps@yahoo.com.

I will be back next Monday to announce the winner of Week #4.

*Edited to correct the deadline

My First Old Page Maps Challenge

I joined the Weekly Old Page Maps Challenge on Scrapbook.com this month.  And then things got busy and the Layouts are due this week and I only got two done :(

But that's two more layouts than I had this time last month so that's good :)

I'd like to share those layouts with you.  The first one is from this page map

 I've been trying to use existing photos in an effort to clean out and organize the photo box under the bed.  So this is a 5x7 of my daughter when she was about 6 months old.

Sorry for the lousy photo!  For some reason, we couldn't get this one to scan right!

I used Sassafras Lass' Indie Girl papers.  They are so cute and each page has a border on the reverse side of the UPC - thanks for being value conscious Sassafras Lass!  Of course the edges are inked with Tim Holtz Distress Inks and the one paper edge is punched using Martha Stewart's Loopy Border Punch.  I added some pizzazz to the Bengali Bloom by Prima by adding some Stickles to the center and on the petals.

The second layout is from this page map

The photos are of my niece Katherine.  When she was a baby, she always had that pacifier in her mouth!  It seems like every photo I have of her, she has a pacifier.

I used Upsy Daisy's A New Day collection papers for this.  So cute!  I love the colors and the clean lines.  The patterned papers remind me of calico.  The flower centers are the fabric brads from A New Day collection.  There's a little Prima bling and some Navy Blue Velvet Mini Ric Rac.  The red alphas are from Pink Paislee's Starlight collection.

I have enjoyed participating in this challenge and my thanks to Nati Tristan for hosting it so capably each month!  I'm looking forward to the September challenge.

By the way, Upsy Daisy's A New Day collection (and London Blush!) is on clearance at Flamingo Scraps!

Announcing our first Guest Design Team!

We are thrilled to announce our Guest Design Team for September - December 2010!!

We were overwhelmed by the response we received and all the talented scrappers who applied.  We wish we could have each and every one of you on our team!   Alas, we could only pick eight this time around.... and what a tough choice it was for us!!

After we finally made it through all the applications, we picked eight amazing artists that we hope will inspire you as much as they inspire us.  So without further ado our Guest Design Team is......

Cindy is a 4th & 5th Grade teacher who is currently the stay-at-home Mom of handsome little Trevor.  Wife of Steve, Cindy loves to dream up new recipes and is a master at putting multiple photos on one layout.... her current record is 14!! Cindy resides in sunny California and will be here to inspire you during September.  Want to get a peek at Cindy's fabulous work?  Go check out her gallery and leave her some love!

Diana is definitely no stranger around here at Flamingo Scraps! Graphic Designer by trade and profession, Diana is the founder of Sketchy Thursdays, one of our favorite blogs and is one of our favorite artists!  Diana resides in New York (the state, not the City!) and will be here to inspire you during October. To see Diana's gorgeous artwork, go check out her blog and swing by Sketchy Thursdays to play along with her fantastic weekly sketch challenge!

Genie is a part-time portrait photographer, happily married Wife, Mom to two adorable little girls and, rumor has it, she has the best cheesecakes in town.  (We want to taste test please!!)  Genie resides in Michigan and will be here to inspire you during October. What are you waiting for?!  Go check out Genie's blog and gallery to check out her fabulous work!

Janet is a retired medial laboratory technologist, Mom of three adults and is impatiently waiting for one of them to hurry up and give her a grandbaby to spoil & scrap about!  Janet was born, raised in and never left St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada and will be here to inspire you during December. Janet's super cute blog showcases her beautiful work and you can also catch up with her over on Facebook.

Jill is Mom of cutie Abigail, Wife of Dean and creator of beautiful scrappy stuff!  When Jill isn't spending time with Dean and Abigail or scrapping, she's playing soccer, cycling, taking photos and working in IM/IT (even though she's trained personal trainer and nutritionist!).  Jill also hails from Ontario, Canada and will be here to inspire you during September.  Want to see one of the cutest blogs around with all kinds of scrappy inspiration?!  Go check out Jill's blog!!

One of Jolaine's favorite quotes is "The way to love life is to love many things"... which she does!!  Home decor, reading, cooking, event planning, anything crafty and, of course, scrapbooking... Jolaine loves them all!  Jolaine was born in the Domincan Republic and now resides in upstate New York with her husband and two children, Emily and Dylan.  Jolaine will be here to inspire you during the month of November and has many beautiful scrappy things over on her blog (so go check it out)!

Tiffany is a happily married momma to a really cute 3-year old Mateo and is living the good life in beautiful San Diego, California.  Orginally from a small town outside Las Vegas, Tiffany dreams of owning her own restaurant someday!  Tiffany will be here to inspire you during December and in the meantime, you can find her gorgeous work on youtube, her blog/gallery and over on Facebook!

And last, but certainly not least....

Tonya (a.k.a. Psycho Mom) is happily married to her high school sweetheart and has two teenagers, Brittany and Brighton!  When she is not volunteering her time for not-for-profit kid oriented organizations, she's hard at work as a Web Designer for the University of Florida Foundation.  Tonya recently guest blogged for us, sharing her fabulous Steampunk Debutante album and will be here to inspire you during November.  Make sure you go check out her website and catch up with her on youtube to check out her fabulous work!

So that's our fabulously talented guest design team and we couldn't be more happy!!! So go check out their blogs, galleries and be inspired... we are!!! 

Stay tuned for September 1st, when we will introduce our first two guest design team members for the month of September, Cindy and Jill, in more detail.

Have a great weekend!!

Are You Ready For Some Football????

Here at Flamingo Scraps, we take our college football very seriously!! Susan and I are rabid, diehard University of Florida Fighting Gators football fans, and well, so is my 80 year old mother! My dear Mama is one of those immaculate people who does not allow ANYTHING on her refrigerator -- or so she thought. A couple of years ago, I started sending her altered Gator Football Schedules and she will allow those on the fridge!

This is Mama's 2010 Gator Football Schedule

Here in NE Florida, so close to Gainesville (home of the U of FL), we can find a plethora of Gator themed scrapbook papers, stickers, and ribbons -- and Tim Holtz Stormy Sky and Dried Marigold Distress Inks just happen to match the Gator colors of Orange and Blue!!!

However, if you are a football fan and can't find patterned paper in your team's colors, you can still try this little project with plain cardstock, letter stickers, and patterned ribbon.  I have to say that when I saw the Teresa Collins NOEL collection (coming soon to Flamingo Scraps!), I thought of the Georgia Bulldogs!  Black Soot and Fired Brick Tim Holtz Inks would be fabulous for the Carolina Gamecocks.  And LSU fans -- gold and purple are big colors in collections this fall and winter.

Whatever your team allegiance -- high school, college, pros -- have a little fun this season and try an altered schedule for your fridge!

One parting comment -- IT IS GREAT TO BE A FLORIDA GATOR!!!

The Gypsies are Coming!

7 Gypsies that is!

Flamingo Scraps is excited to now be carrying 7 Gypsies products.  We expect delivery today so look for some new products to be available now in the store!  We have carefully chosen items you can use in your vintage and Steampunk projects.

Hardware - Time Flies

Ephemera - Gypsy Mini

Also expected before the end of August are American Crafts and Prima Marketing.  This is the first time Flamingo Scraps will be carrying American Crafts and we can't wait to get our hands on this Dear Lizzy Enchanted collection!

Noble Hare

Mystical Mary

And of course, who can top Prima Marketing for amazing flowers and other embellishments?  They do not disappoint with their Summer CHA release.

These sweet and feminine flowers are perfectly coordinated with Dear Lizzy Enchanted collection.  They come in pink and blue also.

Bronte Blooms

How about layering these beauties to make a shabby chic bloom?

Sweet Taffy

Look at these elegant flowers!  Feathers!  Won't these look great with Webster's Pages new Hollywood Vogue collection?

Guava Peony - Etude

More feathers!  We have carefully chosen colors and styles to coordinate with the various new paper collections we are carrying.

Gwendolyn's Bluebird

And here is Prima's new incarnation of their wildly popular Say It In Pearls line........Lace!  Yes, this luscious swirl is made of pearls and lace.  Perfect for the trend toward vintage we are seeing this fall.

Say It In Pearls and Lace

I hope I have whet your appetite for the scrappy, good things coming soon to Flamingo Scraps!  Stay tuned for more coming attractions - Webster's Pages and Pink Paislee begin shipping September 1st!

Because 3 is a Magic Number...

Three it's a magic number
Yes it is, it's a magic number
Because two times three is six
And three times six is eighteen
And the eighteenth letter in the alphabet is R
We've got three R's we're going to talk about today
We've got to learn to
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I just love this song by Jack Johnson!  It gets stuck in my head all the time so I thought I'd blog a bit today on scrapbooking and recycling and some alternative sources for scrapping materials.

Amanda knows the value of reusing........Here is an altered snack box that Amanda blogged about some time ago.

Do you ever go to Lowe's or Home Depot with scrapping on your mind?  Suzanne and I love to shop at home improvement stores for some fun scrappy supplies.  Drywall tape can be inked and used on a layout.  It's a fabulous embellishment and it's got adhesive on the back!

I used two pieces of drywall tape on this LO.  One is just above the photo and the other in the lower right corner.  I also unraveled the drywall tape in the lower corner

Or how about fishing swivels?  You know those little brass things that you attach your bobber or sinker to?  They are great for hanging charms on your project.  Keys, hinges, washers are all great elements to sand, distress, ink and add to those Steampunk projects.

Next time you buy some new clothes, be sure you look at the clothes tag with a discerning eye before you rip it off.  Many time clothes tags are cut in interesting shapes and can be gessoed and painted and then embellished.

Prima Marketing changed their packaging a few years ago and has been advocating reusing their packages.  This Prima blog is all about going green with Prima.

Prima Packaging

 Here's a video of Prima Marketing's Cari Fennell demonstrating a mini album using Prima packaging

Now I know you are asking yourself, why would a scrapbook store show me ways to reuse and recycle?  Aren't they in business to make money?  Well, yes we are.  But we also realize they most folks are on a budget and we hope that if we can share some ideas to stretch your scrapping dollars, you'll come and shop with us with some of those dollars you saved.  Won't you leave us a comment on ways you make your scrapping budget go farther?

Guest Blogger Kia: Cool Challenge # 3

I'm back for Week #3 of our Scraptathlon challenges. If you missed the original post describing these challenges, click here.  I'm having a great time guest blogging for all of you!  I hope you are enjoying the challenges and getting some great layouts done.  Ready for another?  Here we go........

Cool Challenge #3 ~  What's the 4-1-1? - Mary J. Blige
ROFLMFAO. OMG! TTYL. BFF. Textspeak has taken over. This week, use this form of speech in your LO, k? Who will own this challenge?

Required Item:  This week's required item is Alphabet Stickers, Chipboard, Foam, etc.   Basically, you must use some Letters!

Here's a sample layout from Amanda:

A note from Amanda:  I love this layout of my cute nephew!  I made this back in May and Susan actually helped me with this clever title. :)
Supplies:  Cosmo Cricket The Boyfriend Collection patterned paper, stickers & diecuts; American Crafts Chestnut Puffy Thickers; Bazzill Cardstock; brads from stash, black fine sharpie marker, fiskars border punch (borrowed, don't know which one it is!)

All Layouts must be uploaded to the Flamingo Scraps blog (using Mr. Linky) or Facebook page no later than 8pm EDT on August 22, 2010 to be eligible.

On Sale this week at Flamingo Scraps are selected Alphabets from Prima, Maya Road, Webster's Pages and Pink Paislee.

The winner of  Week # 2's challenge drawing is: Cindy d!  Congratulations!

See you next week for our fourth and final challenge!!