Storing different size pages in your 12x12

I have an acute tennis elbow or tendonitis in my right arm.

Let me say there's nothing cute about it.

Its keeping me from doing things I love; such as,

crossfit, scrapping, typing, any repetitive arm movements.

Extremely annoying I must say.

So therefore, I haven't done any scrapping - except minimal stuff.

I have seen this question or issue pop up in some threads 

and thought I'd address it.

It appears that some scrappers love creating 8.5x11 or 6x12 etc

but feel that if they scrap in that size they would need

that size album.

I'm here to say au contraire, my friends.

I have been doing this for years - putting all sizes in my 12x12 album.

And I must say its really fun to flip through.

Not so much photographing though

LOL.

But fun to have them in my albums and mixed in between because

 A. There's no rhyme nor reason to my albums

(very freeing) I scrap whatever photo or story as the mood moves me

for my every day stuff. Therefore

 B. there's no matchy matchy (which I can

do in matchy matchy in like baby or heritage albums) 

and also means there is absolutely no cohesive-ness to my albums

which I know that will drive some of you crazy.

I'd say welcome to my world - but I'm okay with it.

 I tend to let some things dictate what size I will scrap, such as:

A. Size of the photo

B. How stinkin awesome the papers are on both sides

and do I want to use both sides somehow

C. The size of any leftover and/or hoarded paper I deem awesome again

and still want to use.

D. The size or lack thereof of the journaling, embellishments and titles.

 So as I complete pages they get tossed in in random order.

As you can see here, I found some different sizes

that could use another page in them.

I love that - 

Also you can see I have assorted sizes, 8.5x11, 8x8 (which you

usually have to punch a hole for it to sit right in the book) and

6x12. I'll soon have some 9x12 - can't wait to try that size.

Pocket pages are totally fun to add in

especially when I think I have so many amazing photos (in my head)

that I want seen and a windy story to tell.

I also have some leftover pocket pages that are random sizes from

my last travel trip that I'll be tossing in too.

Just because I can.
I love not being bound to the same size all the time.

Artful pages

Thankfully art is alive and well in schools and

my grandkids are quite talented artists.

So it was really fun to document 

and today I have created two layouts

for your blogreading delight.

So how about that adorable pup.

He's a very old Technique Tuesday stamp.

 Again I used most of my Studio Calico

and Creative Cafe stamps around this page 

 and

because that wasn't busy enough

I threw in the Tim Holtz stencil, using yellow paint

with modeling paste.

 Added a few do-dads namely my homemade enamel dots, arrows and a heart sticker and called it a day.

 Kraft paper is the base cut down to 8x8

And honestly all 3 artists made some mighty fine art

AND I WANT THEIR ART FOR SCRAPBOOK PAGES.

How cool would that be....

 I didn't want to be a copy cat on the second page

so I lifted once again a prize ribbon from Soaphouse Mama

- she does them all the time and what better

embellie could there be but that.

And I cut the circles myself - mostly because I didn't have 

punches that nested that closely and I'm normally not that brave LOL.

 The little bird is from some no-name embellishments

I picked up at Michael's and

those stars are from Studio Calico kit and finally

used them babies all up.

Yay!!!

Because it was a wild background that I keyed off

of from the artwork I gessoed where the photo and do-dads are

and found I liked it just fine and left it there.

The heart arrow is wooden - and stuck out like a sore thumb

in its pure form so I smooshed some watercolors

around to match the stars and wa-la.

Worked out well.

Using really old scrapbook paper

Basic Grey and it pains me they

are no longer in business.

I was a big fan.

Loved all their papers and have quite the collection.

 My friend Holli's daughter had a baby and of course

I crocheted a blanket and made a baby album

among other things for her shower and of course I took

photos of one but not the other.....

 Holli graciously took a photo of Kayli wrapped in my 

blanket and I decided to scrap it and it

needed this paper from the LilyKate collection was perfect.

I really wanted something soft and pretty to meld with the photo.

The K&Co embellishments have been around forever too.

Add it with a doily, a die cut border with word stickers and pretty flowers from

Spare Parts 

and well....Love the page.

 I also kept the invitation because the baby album I made (see here)

was keyed off the invitation and of course the shaker box heart.

Therefore I attached the invite to the back of the page

added the journaling (because I really didn't want it on the front)

and called it a day.

Inspiration can change

It all started with this gorgeous paper from Studio Calico

and those two bows.

Until a photo came my way.

 It's okay to kick off from an inspiration piece and

let things go and make changes that are even better than the original.

I loved those two bows on the green strip but

they were too much and I wanted to bring out the yellow in the photo.

I also wanted it to be a bit girly so break out the flowers.
I haven't done real flowers in like forever.

I am also trying the tissue paper backing that Missy Whidden

loves to do and it does make it a bit airy and girly too.

 I was also having issues because there's a bit of

blue-green in the photo that I was originally gonna roll with

 but I loved this paper so I decided no one will notice.

So.....don't notice. LOL.

I also thought about using some mixed media

but.....I just couldn't do it.
I know!!!!

I love all the "white space" that makes you concentrate on the photo

which is totally adorable Annie.

Some prima, Maggie Holmes, Heidi Swapp and EK success.

Different font alphas and a mix of colors

 I used watercolors on this mixed media page

and didn't use any gesso because

it sometimes leaves an outline that annoys me.

I pulled the colors from Sam's shirt

and also used watercolor to make a border around the page

because when I roll on something you see it a 

couple of times. 

And it needed it to not be so bare.

 Instead of journaling I decided to make the title

swing both ways.

And I love how it turned out.

Then there's that cluster which is totally adorable

moved around the page a few million times.

 I love the simplicity that focuses on the

photo and his intense concentration.

I'm so glad to see Thomas the Tank Engine is still around

they were fun books and did you know that 

George Carlin played the conductor in the Saturday series?

It was also my favorite youngest son's books and TV show when

he was that age and I still have his favorite book "Catch Me Catch Me" memorized. 

LOL.

Pop art background

LOVE this paper when it came in my May Studio Calico kit.

I have nearly busted out April & May kits

that were waiting for me when I returned from

The Southern Route Tour.

AND I did mention you'd be seeing a lot of this bird.

He is soooo stinkin' cute.

 Because of the busy background I kept things simple.
I really wanted the pop art to pop.

Nothing says manly like metal.

 I also did a screen shot of this FB post

that I thought was hysterical

and fun of my favorite eldest son having some fun.

Love his smile.

I did use a sharpie to outline the page

because it just needed that

little something something extra.

Little bits and pieces scattered about

One of my favorite follows is Soaphouse Mama and I

love her style so every now and then (or really a lot often)

when I get stuck its fun to "lift" or incorporate 

someone else's style.

However, Ashli does a lot of white and soft colors-

I use wild papers still, but she has a way

of using bits and pieces on her pages that have no

theme or reason to be there except they're adorable, fun and

her words "unexpected."

And this page is that.

See that adorable bunny peeking out - he's just ridiculously cute.

And that bow - I have this cute punch.

I made that tag - and it was fun using those green hole punch

fixers because you can't just buy the few

that I needed to

fix some punched holes that are falling apart

on the pages in my latest travel album .

 Same with the bicycle - no reason for that to be there either

except I really like it.

I find myself wanting to use more stamps (I have a ton)

and do-dads - (more tons).

 I love those stars and dots sprinkled about and

some negative and positive punches.

Studio Calico, Dear Lizzy, Basic Grey, Tim Holtz, Stickos,
Paper Issues