Card & Page Challenge With Michele!

Hello there!
my name is Michele Beck, and I will be the blog host for this week!!!

Soooooo let's go!!!

I have to admit I am not a card maker, and I don't know why! I love cards !
My challenge for you this week is to make a card, and then, make a page with this card!
That's simple!

Here is mine:

"hi card" by Michele Beck

"hi" by Michele Beck

Here is the awesome work from the DT:

"Little Buddy" from Lisa Warren

"What else" by Deanna Kroll

Sooo now it's your turn! Don't forget to show us your work! We love to see it!
I will see you on Wednesday for lots of inspiration :)

Friday Tip: Give Yourself a Lift!

Sometimes I get into a designing rut. When things are at their worst, I know just where to turn for inspiration – the pages of my albums! Sometimes I just browse through my books and think about how I can update older layouts to my current style. Other times I just lift them as is, but with different colors and maybe a twist. It’s an easy way to find inspiration and who better to know what you like than you?

I decided to lift my layout from earlier in the week. You might remember this celebrate layout that kicked off the Round Robin challenge. I had this duck photo to scrap from our Florida vacation and decided to convert it to black and white so if would fit with the colors in the Lil’ Buddy line. As you can see I pretty much lifted the design as is. The layouts will sit in my son’s 2009 album but will be a few months apart. No one will be any the wiser that I used an older design!

.........................Original...............................

...................................Lift...........................

My fellow design team members played along and created these wonderful pages based on pages they created earlier in the year for Pebbles!

Lynn Ghahary took an older layout and refreshed it. I love how she turned it into a multi-photo layout and tilted the photos for a different look!

.........................Original.................

................................Lift...........................

Pam Callaghan converted a four photo 12x12 into a 2 photo one. She added more embellishing to the second design which gives it a totally different feel.

.........................Original..........................

.............................Lift...........................

Liz Qualman lifted this gorgeous layout. The design is spectacular and so versatile. I love how it went from masculine to feminine.


.........................Original......................

...........................Lift...........................

Mireille Divjak was inspired by this older Pebbles layout. Isn't her stitching incredible?

........................Original......................

...........................Lift...........................

Deanna Kroll took the challenge on and took part of her original design and carried it forward. Love how she used similar colors!

.........................Original......................

...........................Lift...........................

Now go back through your albums and pick a favorite design. It's a great way to get inspired!

I’ve had such a great time hosting the blog this week! Thanks to my fellow DT members for playing along - you all rock! And thanks to you for checking in. xo Celeste

It Ain't Heavy...Lift It

Since this week I’m really focusing on lifting ideas, both in my Round Robin challenge and my Friday post (aren’t you eager to see what that is all about?,) I decided I’d give you some insight into places I go for inspiration for designing my layouts.

Source: Pencil Lines

Sketch sites are a great place to start. Some of my favorites are
Page Maps by Becky Fleck
Scrap-Maps
Scrapbooks Etc. Sketches
Pencil Lines
Scrapbook Bytes

Source: Studio Hillary

I don’t scrap a lot digitally, but I’ve found that digital templates are just like sketches! Check out Designer Digitals, Hillary Heidelberg, and the Daily Digi for inspiration.

Online galleries are a great source of inspiration to me. I love to see the variety of ways different scrappers use product. Some of my favorite places are the write.click.scrapbook gallery, Scrapdeco, and Two Peas Peanut Gallery.


Source: Amazon

Scrapbooking publications are another source of inspiration. Currently, I don’t subscribe to any of the scrapbooking magazines, however I visit different scrapbooking magazine websites regularly. Some of the scrapbooking books I own are well worn – both of Cathy Zielske’s books, Becky Higgins Sketches books, my Simple Scrapbooks special issues, and others.


Source: One Pretty Thing

In the course of gathering entries for my blog, I run across all kinds of inspiring ways to use paper and other embellishments. Some of my favorite sites for paper crafting inspiration are Craftzine, Folding Trees, and One Pretty Thing.



Ads and magazines provide all sorts of graphic inspiration. I spend time at the library or Borders sketching while looking at magazines like Cookie, Oprah, Real Simple, and a variety of design publications like HOW Magazine, print, and Communication Arts. You can also find ads online at Ads of the World, All Graphic Design, Carbon Made and Creative Hotlist.

Check back on Friday for a easy design tip for when you are in a rut!

Round and Round Robin

Hi there! My name is Celeste Smith, and I’ll be blogging this week here on the Pebbles blog. Woohoo! I can't tell you how much fun it has been to be a part of this team; not only are the papers gorgeous, but the team is a group of really fabulous, talented women. I feel lucky!

This week, I challenged my fellow design team members to join me in a Round Robin. A Round Robin is a fun way to get inspired and it’s always exciting to see how a layout morphs and changes through the iterations. The design team members were only allowed to see the layout just previous to their layout.

I kicked off the challenge with this layout.

Note that the design is quite centered, multi-photo, 8.5x11 and uses yellow paper from the Linnie Bell line. The design uses large horizontal blocks and some rounded corners for interest. I handed my layout to fabulous design team member, Maureen Blanc. Maureen went early in the challenge, because she just had a baby boy! Congrats Maureen!

Maureen’s design is centered like mine and incorporates the horizontal feel of my layout. Maureen also designed the layout with more than one photo and used some yellow from the Downtown line. She also pulled forward those three little brads from the bottom of my design. Yet Maureen stretched my design to convert it to a 12x12 format. Maureen handed the layout off to the inspiring Deanna Kroll.

Deanna kept the hortizonal swaths of paper and elements, but mixed up the feel of the photo block and journaling. Her layout incorporates three overlapping circles, perhaps to mimic those three small brads in Maureen’s design? Deanna pulled some yellow into her design as well. Isn’t her puppy the cutest? Deanna passed her layout on to the wonderful Samantha Sibbet.

Samantha kept the background details from Deanna’s design and used the same color scheme. She made a circle border and stitched through the circles – isn’t that an incredible detail? I’m totally stealing that idea soon! Samantha changed the design back to 8.5x11 and now the layout has a single photo. Samantha then sent her layout on to the marvelous Christa Paustenbaugh for inspiration.


Christa converted the design right back to a multi-photo design and moved the title to the side of her photos. Her star border mimics the circle border on Samantha’s design. I love how the colors in Christa’s design look so fresh – it may just be because she didn’t pull the yellow in like everyone else did! Christa then emailed her layout along to the charming Lynn Ghahary.


Lynn really made this layout her own. First she converted the layout to 12x12. Then she incorporated the stars and the photo block from Christa’s design and unknowingly used the same title as my layout (the first one) and switched us back to that yellow color scheme! Her blue block mimics Christa’s red one. The pinked edge border brings to mind Christa’s torn notebook border. Lynn’s layout was sent along to Marielle LeBlanc for inspiration.


Marielle kept that color scheme going and her blocking and title location are similar to Lynn’s. I love how she made her sun and incorporated the whale sticker and cloud into her design. Like Lynn, Marielle created a custom spot to handwrite her journaling. I especially like the little cloud. After Marielle came our last designer, the brilliant Lisa Warren


Whenever I see really girly layouts like this one, I just have to sigh. As a mother to two boys, it's definitely something that is missing in my albums. Did you see that cake? Our cakes lean towards superheroes and Spongebob! Love how Lisa took the blocking from Marielle's layout and changed it up a bit. Her layout looks absolutely nothing like mine - which means the ladies of the Round Robin each took a little from the layout before them and made it their own! Just the results I was hoping for.

Coordinating a Round Robin online with deadlines can be tricky. These ladies were a pleasure to work with - not one of them missed a deadline and they were all so enthusiastic about the challenge! Thanks ladies you made this challenge so easy and so much fun!

Now I challenge you to either pick up where we left off and base your layout on Lisa’s design or put together a Round Robin with online friends or even try it at a crop. It’s sure to be inspiring and fun!

Happy Halloween

We hope that you are prepared for all of the ghouls and goblins to descend upon your homes for candy and mischief. To celebrate this much anticipated holiday, Pebbles has the cutest Halloween collection called Spooky. A few of the Design Team members created some projects to share with you. You can find these super fun kits on the Pebbles Inc. retail site.

I felt really inspired by the little ghosts in this line because of their fresh patterns and funky eyes, so I used a combination of Pebbles Chips and Candy Dots to create the same effect on the hand-cut ghost. The Spooky collection also comes with some really fun die cuts, ribbon and cardstock stickers. In the I Want Candy layout, my daughter is actually holding a wand in the photo, but I used the Trick or Treat sticker, backed with cardstock, to make it look like she is holding a big lollipop.


Marielle LeBlanc created these fun layouts; one to celebrate Halloween and one non-holiday related layout to show how versatile the papers are in the Spooky line because of its bright, playful colors and patterns. Not only were the papers perfect for her little trick or treater, they were also a great palette for the layout of her little boy and his first bout with shaving.



Ginnifer Maloney made this Spooky layout. Along with the awesome photos of her little ninja, she added many of the sticker and die cut elements from the kit. The Halloween title is also a sticker word from this collection and don't forget to check out all of the funky little ghosts.


Hope to see some of your Spooky projects soon. Happy Halloween everyone.

Friday Tip: Use those circles!

Happy Friday everyone! I hope that you've enjoyed the blog this week, and for a final posting from me this week, I bring you an easy way to enhance your projects and layouts. Everywhere I look, in patterns, punches, stickers and other things, circles are everywhere! They are such an easy thing to add to you layouts and such a fun way to create a "punch" in the layout.

With this week's tip, I asked the design team members to come up with some great ways to incorporate circles into their layouts. For my own layout, I used an ad from the Wednesday inspiration posting to create this fun 8.5 x 11 layout. I just love the way the way the circles really make this layout fun and unique. For me, the circles also have some hidden meaning to it, seeing as the title is grow and explore, the circles to me represent the circle of life that my son is going through each and everyday that he grows as an individual. I punched out the circles with a circle punch and also added a piece of circle chipboard to emphasize my son's photo. Here you'll see the results from using circle's in this layout:

Here are the layouts that the design team members came up with as well.

With this layout, Beth was able to incorporate the circles in her title, the flower shapes, the brads, ribbon balls and even the clip. Her papers even got into the fun of the circles with the flower shapes and the polka dot papers. Even though Beth used a lot of different types of circle shapes in her layout, it's not overpowering and it all works so well together.

"Motley" by Beth Root

In this second layout that Beth did, again, her circles are subtle, as when you look at her flowers, and the circle stickers as well. Very well done, and such a gorgeous layout!

"Today" by Beth Root

With this next layout, I just love how Ginnifer used all of the circles in her layout. It's such a fun layout and the circles lead your eye throughout her layout. I love all of the different sizes she used as well. This is a very fun layout!

"Goodies 4 sale" by Ginnifer Maloney

Finally, design team member Sophia made her layout with circles by making the circles a main part of the layout and one of her main embellishments on the page. This is a wonderful way to make your own circle embellishments on the page, as you will see in the close up photos that Sophia took for us with this layout.

"U & U" by Sophia Allison

Here are two close up photos showing off these great circles.

Just look at how fun those circles are!

I hope you will go ahead and add circles to you layouts, cards and projects as well! I would love to see what you come up, so please add your links to your projects and leave a comment! Next week, your blog hostess has a great Monday challenge ahead, so remember to stop by to see what the Pebble's team has in store for you!

Have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy your Halloween!
-Deanna

Wednesday Inspiration

Hello everyone, I hope your Wednesday is finding you all well. Today I would like to talk about where I draw a lot of my inspiration from for my layouts, cards and projects. There are so many things that inspire the things I create and in the world of scrapping, I draw inspiration from magazines, sketch sites, challenge sites and from online galleries. However, there are so many other places I draw my inspiration from.

One thing I love to get inspiration from is from magazine ads and from graphic design projects. You can choose to try to recreate the design with you pages, pick out colors that inspired you from the ad or graphic design, choose design elements that caught your eye, or perhaps it was the shapes that you found inspiration from. Whatever it is, ads and graphic design projects like the following examples are great ways to get the creative juices just flowing.

With this ad, I love the circles that the page has one it, and I love the big circle photo on the left side of the ad. I would be able to draw the circles and the design from this, as where the type is, would be a perfect spot to put your journaling at.

This is such a fun piece, the colors, the circles, I can really see trying to recreate this in a scrapbook page, and making it my own by using more circles with photos, and putting embellishments where some of the circles are currently. The possibilities are endless from this and such a great piece to inspire you.

With this ad, I love the design that the ad carries, and I can see trying to reproduce this just as it is as a layout. I love the colors, love the mixed title, and LOVE the flourishes in this. I love that the color combination is pink/orange/brown/black and white. Everything about this ad just screams "COPY ME!". With this piece, I love the different sizes the title offers. From this piece I would draw from it the typography, as it would be a great way to do a title on the page of a layout.
In this piece, I love the color combinations of the blues with the browns. I can see myself trying to recreate the colors in a layout of my own from this piece.

With this, I love the angles that the page offers. I envision this as being a layout where the photos are angles and the title being in the center just as it is on this page.

With this ad, I love the simplicity that the page offers, and again, the circle elements on this page. I can see myself recreating a page with this with similar style.

Finally, with this graphic page, I really love the color combination, and from this piece I would draw as my inspiration the colors. I love that it has the title in squares and I love the distressed feel of this piece. Well, now that I have shared some examples with you, the next time you are looking at an ad or any type of graphic design project (think packaging, movies covers, CD covers, flyer's, the possibilities are endless) think about what you'd pull as inspiration from these pieces into your own work. You'll be surprised with how much inspiration you can actually pull from ads and graphic projects! Happy creating!

-Deanna

Crazy for Sketches

Hello everyone, my name is Deanna Kroll, and I will be the blog host for this week, here at the Pebbles blog!

Have you noticed how much sketches seem to be everywhere to inspire scrapbookers and even card makers? I have been using sketches with my layouts for well over 4 years now, and most of the sketches I use, have been my own. I of course have also gotten inspiration in my work with other peoples sketches as well, like Becky Higgins, Becky Fleck (page maps), and from places like Got Sketch?, Sketch It, Pencils Lines, and so many more! One can draw so much inspiration from sketches, especially when you are having scrappers or card making block.

This week, I challenged members from the Pebbles design team to use a sketch that I made as their inspiration for the layouts that they made this week. Here is sketch that they were provided to use:


For my own layout, I kept my layout pretty close to what the original sketch was, and kept placement of everything pretty similar. I added a few elements in places that were not in the original sketch, but that is what makes this layout my own from the sketch.

What is great about sketches is that you are able to interpret them as you like and you can either stick with the sketch as it is, you can turn them around, or as the following two team members did - you can even change the size to what you would normally scrap.

As you see with the following layout, done by fellow design team member Celeste Smith, she made the layout into an 8.5 x 11 layout and kept the photo placement similar as well as some of the elements in the layout, however, she simplified it to her own style, and kept the layout true to her simple scrapping style."Nature Girl" by Celeste Smith

Another 8.5 x 11 layout interpretation was done by Mimi Leinbac, where you'll see she kept many of the same features that were from the original sketch.

"Blueberry Hill" by Mimi Leinbach

Lynn Ghahary's layout simplified the sketch but she also added simple little touches to the layout, like the button off to the side of her journal spot, and the heart embellishment added to the main photo. This is just a simply stunning layout!

"First Day" by Lynn Ghahary

Maureen Blanc made the sketch her own by replacing the two lower photos in the sketch with embellishments and also by simplifying the sketch to what would work for her her own unique style as well. This layout also adds some humor to it, as Maureen's title stands for "Baleen Whale" (and see where she has her Pebbles chipboard arrow pointing to....you just have to love her humor!).

"Baleine" by Maureen Blanc

I love the interpretation that Marielle LeBlanc did with this sketch. Her layout really shows how you can make a sketch into your own work! Beautifully done with this layout.

"Discovering" by Marielle LeBlanc

And finally, Suzanne Sergi made this adorable layout with her daughter and her pink bear. The way she interpreted the sketch is absolutely wonderful. I love the way she did her lower embellishments is wonderful and I love her dimension in this layout. She did a fantastic job with this sketch!

"Sweet and Cuddly" by Suzanne Sergi

I was so happy to see the layouts that the team created with this sketch, and I hope that you'll also play along with the challenge this week. If you do - link up your work to the comments section, I would love to see what you create!!!

See you all on Wednesday for some more inspiration!

Friday Tip - Stitching & Chalking

Today I will show you a very simple way to change the colour of your stitching without too much fuss. Sometimes it can be more of a pain to keep changing the bobbin in our sewing machines, just to match the colour of our paper/project. So, as to save time in the future keep your cotton in your machine to the basic white, do all the stitching you need to do.

Now the fun starts...

Pull out your {Pebbles} chalks and start to run over your stitching with the colour of your choice. Once you have done that, I simply used my {Pebbles} eraser to rub off the excess chalk, only the colour remains behind on your cotton...and voila, your have matched your cotton to your paper/project and nobody is none the wiser...

Here is the final project completed with the stitching in the colour of my choice to match my project.

Here is a layout done by Emeline Seet. She used a running stitch at the base of her layout and she added some colour to her white flowers by using the chalks.

This layout was designed by Maureen Blanc, of her beautiful new baby boy.  She used some stitches on the pattern paper as a border. Also added blue chalk around the edges of the layout, to give it a great soft baby effect.

Now, I hope this {TIP} will get you to sew more on your beautiful projects.

Wednesday Inspiration

I just love the inspirations I can get from Shabby Chic Designs.

The awesome romantic and softness it portrays. The ideas one can get from pictures like these below are endless, portrays a sense of calmness within us, which is when I find I can create more...no distractions of any kind.

I can see simple, lots of white space and very minimalistic layouts being designed.

Notice in each picture how certain aspects are highlighted in the pictures. As if to draw your eye to it immediately. For example if you look at the last photo above your eye goes straight to the butterfly swirl design. Like a single photo on a layout makes more of an impact than many.

Everything looks so dreamy and heavenly, like it's a place you could go and loose yourself in, even if for just a few hours.

The only advice I can give you is to try using these ideas on your pages, keep it simple with clean lines.

At the end of the day, these two below are what inspires me to Scrapbook.

I certainly hope I have been able to inspire you with this week's inspirations and get your creative juices flowing...

**Edited** For those of you interested in where I got the photos from, credit is due at Shabby Chic Blog.

Everything That Dangles

Hi, Sophia Allison here and I will  be your Blog Host this week, all the way from South Africa.

My challenge for you is to create a MOBILE to decorate your Studio or even your child's room. It adds a wonderful touch and you can make it with whatever colour combos you like to match with your decor.

You can add chipboard shapes (Chips), like I have. Bling it with jewels and trinkets. Simply add your personal touch to it..."As they say, anything goes..."

In my project below, you will see that I have used a wooden hoop, which I painted cerise. Used clear fishing nylon to thread the paper butterflies onto, Chip shapes, beads and jewels. This sure will add a great feature to one of my little girls room.

Liz Qualman made this little beauty from the Lil' Miss Collection. She focused on the super cute stickers that come with the line and stuck them to brown cardstock to add some thickness to them. Then she cut them out, tied them to string and attached a Pebbles Chips flower for some weight. She used an embroidery circle for her mobile frame, tied string and ribbon to it and then wrapped the paper design around it.

Michele Beck made this beauty below using Pebbles paper, ribbons and chips.

Samantha Sibbert used only 3 large butterflies and added the Chips scrolls as the butterfly feelers, what a great idea.

Look at this Fall mobile by Amy Sorro made with the colours of the season as a home project. Just love how she used strips of patterned paper...great idea!

Then, just for something different...Mimi Leinbach altered a box and this was the end result. Using the paper as ribbons twirls, adds a wonderful touch to the little box.

Now, I hope that we have been able to inspire you to create your very own masterpiece. It sure is a great way to use up your scraps you have lying around...

Come back on Wednesday for some Inspiration ideas...!

It's a GIRL!

Congrats, Josh!



Josh and his wife, Mandi, are expecting baby #3--a little GIRL!-- on February 14th! They couldn't be more excited!

Congrats!!!

Friday tip: creating double layouts

So, why create a double layout? Double layouts are great for when you have too many photos to fit on the one page or have a more detailed story to tell. Usually I reserve double layouts for special occasions...birthdays, Christmas, weddings etc. Sometimes, one page just won't do! lol.

There are many ways that you can create a well balanced double page spread. You can unify the two sides by using coordinating colours, by spreading embellishments across both pages, or by using the same techniques. You can also create a mirror image of the left and right sides. Another way is to spread your title across the two pages. A double layout will have more impact and feel more balanced if the elements and your photos are brought in close together. The layouts below by the Pebbles Inc team show you how...

Sketches are another great way for you to create a well balanced layout...the hard work has already been done for you! Sketches in this post are courtesy of PageMaps.
I have used the sketch above to create my layout. Even though the elements are off centre, because they are drawn close together, they create a sense of balance. Here's my layout...I have used papers from the Lil' Buddy range to create a wintery layout. There's definitely more to the Lil' Buddy range than little boy pages. I added more chipboard flourishes and flowers across the layout in coordinating colours.
Here's a few detail shots...
Liz Qualman also used the Lil' Buddy range to create her double layout. Liz had these photos of her son and couldn't figure out how to use them on just one page, so the double pager was perfect to show the moment. Liz has balanced the different sized photos with the two stacked on top in the middle and the journaling and strips of paper on the ends. This layout is Liz's own design.

Samantha Sibbet has used the sketch above to create her double page, also using the Lil' Buddy range. You can see that Sam has spread three flowers across her layout. This little trick of placing your embellishments (or colours) in a triangular formation is a basic design principle. By using things in three's, you will create a sense of balance.
Check out the adorable hanging frame and handmade flower Sam has created!
The next few layouts have been created using this sketch. Even though all four layouts have used the same sketch, they look and feel different because of the colours, patterns and embellishments used.
Gaelle Fauglas has created this layout using patterned paper from the Skipping Along range. Gaelle has spritzed her layout with glimmermist...by using the same technique across both sides, this unifies the pages to create a successful double layout.
Akiko Kuroki used the Lil' Miss range to create her layout. The striped patterned paper that extends across both pages of her layouts ties the two pages together. Akiko has also added embellishments in pink on both sides, further balancing her double layout.
Cherie Nymeyer has used the bright patterned papers of the Downtown range against black cardstock. Using black and white photos with bright colours is very effective. Cherie has mirrored the use of yellow and houndstooth papers on both sides, and tied both sides together with the stripped and polka dot patterned papers.
Last but not least, Christa Paustenbaugh has converted the sketch to suit an 8.5x11 format. Christa has used the strips from the bottoms of the Lil' Miss patterned papers to create a fun strip across the top of her layout. Christa has also swapped out one of the 6x4 photos for a smaller photo and a piece of art created by her daughter. The drawing has been framed using Pebbles Inc chipboard that has been trimmed to create glittery photo corners.
Here's a close up...
Double layouts can be fun to create and enable you to tell a more detailed story of an event or moment. Just use the tips above and you'll be creating gorgeous double layouts in no time.

I've had a blast hosting the Pebbles blog this week and hope you've enjoyed it too. Until next time...cheers! Lis.

Wednesday Inspiration...

There are so many inspirational things out there in the world, and here are just a few inspiring me at the moment.

I keep a copy of this postcard on my desk at work (red and white though). Its a great reminder and has a nice simple design. Duck egg blue and grey are also a favourite colour combination of mine, and most of my house is decorated this way.
This pillow just speaks to me...I can see myself creating ruffles out of white Pebbles Inc ribbon and adding it to a layout real soon! Just loosely stitch through the centre of the ribbon and pull the threads to create a ruffle.
Sarah Richardson is one of my favourite interior designers and I look forward to watching her shows every Tuesday night. The way she combines colour and pattern is just amazing! This nursery shows how you can successfully combine different weights of pattern (the large leaf, small polka dot, and even the medium stripe in the cot, together with neutrals). I can see this as a great jumping off point for a layout - perhaps using a bit from both Lil' Buddy and Lil' Miss ranges.
I first came across Australian Birdhouse at my local creative trader's market. Sal creates unique baby clothing - she hand screenprints each design and completes each piece with vintage buttons and fabrics. I love that one-of-a-kind, whimsical look...something I can definitely see me incorporating into my scrapbooking.
Although my favourite colours are duck egg blue and chocolate, I'm very inspired by bright colours and love to combine lots of fun colour and pattern on my layouts.
1. org polka reversible a line dress, 2. Angel Suzie, 3. child's room, 4. polka dots, 5. Pink mobile, 6. button art, 7. Pretty Monarch Butterfly 003, 8. My Fav. Swirl, 9. Bookcase for childrens books

Drawing from my inspiration pieces above, I have created this card. The orange polka dot dress reminded me of the Downtown range, and I have used Pebbles Inc flower chalk stencils to replicate the screenprinting used by Birdhouse. The end result is a fun Fall card, just perfect for one of my Northern hemisphere friends.
I have layered the buttons and finished them with twine, like the centre of the pear t-shirt above.
Finally, like most mammas, my main inspiration comes from my children. They are the reason I scrapbook, the reason I have so many wonderful memories and the reason for almost everything else in my life. Photograph by Janine Kaye.
Thanks for indulging me (lol). Check back on Friday for some fun tips for creating a double layout! Cheers, Lis.

Cheerful Chipboard

Hi everyone! My name is Lisa Warren, and I'll be blogging this week for Pebbles all the way from down under!

One of my favourite Pebbles Inc products is Pebbles Chips. They come in a huge variety of colours and coordinate so perfectly with every range of patterned papers they have released. Each packet comes with 70 pieces of chipboard and range in size from 1/4" to 4". Some are even embellished with glitter! Tags, flourishes, hearts, flowers, punctuation...you name it, there is something for every layout.

This week, I challenged the girls to showcase Pebbles Chips on their projects...check them below - absolutely gorgeous projects and very inspiring!

For my layout, I have selected chipboard pieces that blend into the patterned papers to add dimension, then coordinated with chocolate chip for contrast. Even though I've used 10 pieces of chipboard on this layout, they don't overpower the photo...they enhance it.

Layout by Lisa Warren

For this project, Pam Callaghan has used the pink Pebbles Chips to create a decorative chipboard frame. You can see here the variety of shapes available in each packet.
Mireille Divjak created this gorgeous star shaped mini album using papers from the So Tweet range and coordinating chipboard flowers. Pictured here are the front and back covers
The inner pages of the mini album are just as sweet...following the formula of flower on one side and picture on the other. A simple yet effective mini album to recreate.
Liz Qualman has used a few chipboard elements, but has kept the layout of her son simple. Liz has combined tags and frames from two different chips colors, and has also used the Metallic Creme Chalks to colour one of the chipboard flowers and the American Craft Thickers. This layout was created using a mix of the Lil' Miss and Lil' Buddy lines.
Liz has also provided a sketch for you to use should you wish to create this layout yourself.
Ginnifer Maloney has used the chip pieces in her title, as well as accents on her layout. Ginnifer has also glued a chip circle to a hat pin to make it match!
Debbie Standard has used glitter flourishes and flower in green to embellish her layout. The green chipboard coordinates perfectly with patterned papers from the Lil' Buddy and So Tweet ranges.
Deanna Kroll has used a selection of glittered chipboard frames, flowers and flourishes to accent her title. The red, orange and brown chipboard suits the Linnie Bell range perfectly.
Last, but certainly not least, Christa Paustenbaugh has used the chipboard ampersands to link her journaling together...very very effective! They illustrate all of Christa's daughter's quirks at the age of four.
So there you have it...Pebbles Chips. The perfect embellishment for any layout and completely versatile! Add them to your projects today.

Cheers, Lis.

Friday Tip: How to Make a Ribbon Flower

This is ever so easy! All you need is a thread and a needle. What you would need to do is stitch along one side of your ribbon. After doing this, you will need to pull the thread from the end to bunch up the ribbon. Be sure to move your bunching further up the ribbon, so you can pull the thread more. Gather enough "bunched up" ribbon to rotate in a circle to form your flower for about three times around.

Ok, ok!! Yes, I realize that some of you out there don't even "own" thread and a needle. Not all is lost. You "too" can make a cute little ribbon flower. All you would need to do is have the "correct" type of ribbon. Guess what? Pebbles has the perfect ribbon for this flower sold in these cute little collection packs. In fact, I used it in my example below - no sewing involved. However, I did stitch my leafs. Below is a visual tutorial for you:

by Susan Dupre

Below are some more examples of ribbon flowers by some of the design team girls:

by Pam Callaghan

by Samantha Sibbet

by Lynn Ghahary

by Michele Beck

There you have it. I just love how each and every one of us did a different ribbon flower. This was my tip, and I truly think the girls out did me! I love their take on my tip. I hope you have found these lo's an inspiration to you, and I am looking forward to seeing some cute handmade ribbon flowers on your work.

Inspiration is all around us!

As fall is quickly upon us, and in some places already here, all one needs to do is look outside their door for inspiration. Do you ever find yourself looking for a new color combination? This time of year couldn't be any better in helping to find some amazing colors for your fall layouts. Below are some photos to help inspire you.

Photo by Butch Lombardi

Don't you just love the vivid fall colors against the black night sky. Can you imagine how striking a lo would be using those colors. Then look at the photo below. I love the browns and golds mixed with the blues and purples of the water. I can just visualize how unique a lo would be with those color combination.

Photo by Greg Combs


Photo by Bill Bobrow

The photo above looks like an ordinary fall color combination. However, if you look closely you can see varying shades of yellow to orange. Then there is white, but do you see the gray in the photo as well. I would never think of adding gray to my fall lo's, but look, it looks beautiful in the photo. Below is what I would classify as a typical fall color scheme. Although, can you see the hints of purple that is cast by the shadows? Would you be daring enough to throw that additional color into your fall lo?

Photo by Richard Burrows

This last photo screams a cool crispy morning on the water. Because of the fog and the early morning setting, the photo is almost void of color. Would you dare to do a monochromatic lo using these colors?

Photo by Butch Lombardi

So there you go. Just take a look around you. What do you see? Go for a drive in the country. Look at those pumpkins in a whole new light. You just never know what might actually inspire you.

Getting Distressed

Hi, my name is Susan Dupre, and I am your blog host this week.

My challenge for you is "Getting Distressed". No, I don't want you getting distressed over your project. I just want you to "distress" that project! We've all see the style out there, and when the mood hits me, I like to add that distressed look to my pages. It is ever so easy to do. Just take something and rough up the edges of those papers, add a little ink and there you go. You have an instant distressed look.

Here are some examples by myself and by some of the girls in out talented design team:




little lady by Marielle LeBlanc



My man by Cherie Nymeyer


Touch the sky by Akiko Kuroki


you're so cute by Gaelle Fauglas


6 women & 1 little buddy by Mireille Divjak


we love you by me, Susan Dupre

and remember, you can distress those cards as well. Here is an example by Emeline Seet - What I love about you


I hope you have found today's challenge and the work by the girls inspiring. I can't wait to see your lovely work posted here on the blog for us to admire.

Extract From Paper

Hi!! The host of this week is Akiko Kuroki.

This post is about extracting a design from a paper

and carrying out layout creation using it.

This is one of the processes in which I create a layout.

I observe a paper, before making a layout.

The pattern papers have many great designs and a wonderful handle exists.

It is the handle which I observed. This is clipped by a design cutter.

You may use the thing which carried out the cutout as it is.

Here, the hand was added.

The expansion copy of it is carried out at a white paper.

And it cuts together with a paper different from it.

I united and used the handle which carried out the cutout,

and the expanded handle. If this technique remembers, it is applicable.

This is the whole layout. A layout will disguise itself still more strikingly

by modifying it paying attention to the handle of a pattern paper!

And a Pebbles DT member's great work is the following.

By Kim Moreno

by Celeste Smith

by Samantha Sibbet

by Beth Root

Thank you for checking Pebbles Blog of this week.

Have a nice weekend!!

American Crafts purchases Pebbles!

Hello everyone! We’re excited to announce that American Crafts purchased Pebbles today!

The great news is that American Crafts will continue to offer Pebbles’ current product line and plans to introduce new products over time. Pebbles' in-house design team will also join American Crafts, which means that you’ll be able to enjoy Pebbles’ simple, cute and fun style for years to come.

Be sure to keep visiting the Pebbles blog for the same great projects and inspirational ideas you’ve come to count on!

Inspiration Wednesday

Hi All! It is about an inspiration on Wednesday. When I live, I have got many inspirations. It is a family, a friend, television, and a magazine... and more!

When I make a work, the photograph which will be used first is faced. Color is very important for some main colors. I choose out of the color in the photograph, or the situation at that time.

I may get the hint of a design from a paper etc. Probably, it will be very important. I may get the hint of a design from a paper etc. Probably, it will be very important.

Relaxing is also important in order to obtain an inspiration. I love coffee very much. It is required for my relaxed time.

A thing important as well as coffee is music. I listen to music, it relaxes and a title may appear from a music name.
Thank you, check back Friday!!

Pebbles Inc. Handmade Flower Challenge!

Hello, everyone! My name is Akiko Kuroki and an on-line name is akilia. I work the host of the Pebbels Inc. blog of this week. My challenges are handmade flowers. Flowers are the important decoration which gives brightness to a layout, a card, etc. I propose carrying out handmade here.

Check the wonderful work which Pebbles DT created. It all deserves admiration!

Here is my layout.I made the flower using the scallop border.

You are troubled by how to use the chip of a paper, and propose the method of cod roe. If the scallop border is bent so that a circle may be made, an original flower will complete it.

by Debbie Standard

by Amy Sorro

by Samantha Sibbet

by Deanna Kroll

by Mimi Leinbach

by Gaëlle Fauglas

I expect that you make a work using an original flower. Let's make a great work using Pebbles Inc.collection!

Doodling Your ART Out!

When it comes to scrapbooking, doodling seems to be a technique that some people do well at, or some people run away from it. Doodling is a great way to express yourself artistically and when added to a layout, it can be like adding your own signature, like an artist would do to to their own masterpieces. Normally when people think of doodling they think it's just a drawing, but that drawing can add so much to a layout and even make an excellent accent to a page just like this one from DT member Maureen: Doodling on a layout can even be something as simple as outlining a little border around paper and accents. (Here's a tip: when doodling, just go with the flow and faster, when you think about it too hard and go slowly, it can have disappointing results. I have found when I just "go with it" it seems to give me the more whimsical look I am desiring.) For my layout I doodled some border lines with a black and white pen, but I also "doodled" my pink accent flower on the bottom corner. Using one of the Pebbles Inc templates, I created my own little whimsical accent to match my layout. To do this all I did was use a template, and trace the shape of one of the flowers. Then I removed the stencil, then traced losely over the flower shape a few times (no need to go perfectly over the same lines) then I added some dots, colored in with some Pebbles Inc chalks and added a Pebbles Inc Chips chipboard circle and the flower center. Then I cut around it and used pop dots to adhere, and there you go!For my layout, I used the Skipping Along line by Pebbles Inc., as well as Chips, Dots, and Chalks!DT Member Lynn made this super cute card using the stencils as a template to make her own "die cuts" and then doodled some dots and dashed to complete her card! DT member Gaelle created this beautiful layout using the stencils to accent her background. DT member is Emeline made this card and used stencils and a white pen to make these great accent circles.
DT member Debbie created this scenery using the stencils to doodle and chalk for a cloud background.

DT member Deanna made this card by doodling the red flower with a stencil and the bracket, which added to the matching stckers and paper. Dt member Celeste used a stencil to make stars to match her "Brothers" layout. Sometimes when you can't find the perfect accent, you can easily make your own! Well, thanks for joining me on the Pebbles Inc. blog this week. I hope I have inspired you to get those back to school layouts done, helped you find the perfect words for journaling and helped you learn about one of my favorite techniques, Doodling!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Words of Inspiration...

Finding the right words for journaling, or the right title for my layouts has always been my number 1 problem when it comes to scrapbooking. I often turn to quotes and lyrics to help me find those words of inspiration and today I thought I'd share some finds with you.

I love a good quote...who doesn't right? I have 2 sites that I frequent when I'm looking for the right words to express on a layout or project. www.writtendecor.com is actually a vinyl lettering site for home decor, however, they have a lot of quotes organized on there and they are perfect for scrapbooking as well. The other site I frequent is www.quotegarden.com this site has a quote on everything...I mean EVERYTHING. Take a look to see what I mean! There are plenty of quotes and sayings there to help jump start your journaling or put that perfect touch onto your project.

Another thing that I love to use for my journaling and titles are lyrics. I am a big music lover and some music just has the best messages within the lyrics or maybe while you're listening to a ballad you may find that they are describing exactly how you feel about a love one. I like to go to www.lyrics.com and www.azlyrics.com to look up the lyrics to make sure I'm copying them right, some of my favorite layouts are ones I've used lyrics for the journaling and if you haven't tried it, next time you're in a journaling slump try it out!

Finding the right words can sometimes be difficult, but thanks to the internet, books, magazines, etc. we can find someone else's words that will fit just perfectly! I hope I have given you some resources to help in your journaling and if you have any tips or sites you'd like to share when it comes to journaling, please leave a comment! We'd love to hear them!

Back To School!

Hello Everyone! My name is Ginnifer and I will be your DT host here for this week.

School has been back in for a month now for us here in Southern Utah, but different parts of the state, country and even world started at different times and school is back in session everywhere! This challenge is a simple one, but if you're like me, sometimes events don't get scrapbooked right after they happen. But, not this time! For this weeks challenge lets get those back to school layouts scrapped! Any of the Pebbles Inc lines work perfectly to highlight your little one's back to school days. In my example I used the Lil' Buddy line to document my son's first day of 5th grade.I love how this line works for baby boys all the way up to the big boys!

Design Team member Liz participated in this challenge, and has provided this great circle sketch to go along with her layout! Who doesn't love a great sketch and this one is circle! I'm definately saving this one for future use. Thanks Liz! In her layout she used the Lil' Miss collection for use with a school portrait, how cute is that?

Pam used the Downtown line in this great progression layout. This is a great way to show how your child has grown every year. Great idea Pam!

DT member Mireille used the So Tweet and some stitching to create this layout of her little ones first day of kindergarten.

I love how Marielle mix and matched lines for her layout here:

Kim cut around some of the pattern for an accent strip in this layout with her middle schooler's first day and I love how she added the stems to the Pebbles Chips' flowers!

Our last layout for inspiration comes from Susan. This is an excellent example of a white space layout and a good way to make your scrappy supplies stretch. I love the different strips from different lines make up a perfect accent to her page!

Well, that is all for today. Thank you for stopping by and I'll be back Wednesday to share some bits of inspiration, so see you then!

Pebbles Chips Winner!

Happy Monday morning! What a better way to start the week than with the winner of our Pebbles Chips Giveaway??!

Ok now...after looking through all the entries, I've learned that there's "messy" and then there's "MESSY!" (You know the difference, right??)

The winner of the Pebbles Chips Giveaway is:

KRISTY!

Are you ready to check out her scrap space?? *WARNING: You might not come out alive! :)

Here's Kristy's desk after completing 3 page layouts:


What do you do when you need to put stuff somewhere, but you're not sure where to put it? Pile it on the table behind you, of course!


...and when you run out of space on the table, the next best place to stash stuff is on the floor, right??? :)



Congrats, Kristy, for having the messiest scrap room!

Stay tuned for Ginnifer's Back to School Challenge coming up later this morning!

Hand Cutting Embellishments from Pattern Paper!

In this economy who doesn't want to save a few dollars for a rainy day. This post will give you some examples to do just that and get your creativity mojo flowing. Pattern paper is the least expensive product we buy as scrapbookers. Why not take the paper you have and make a few embellishments out of it. By digging into our stash pulling out a little glitter, some adhesive, and your favorite piece of paper we can create a great design on a shoestring. Hand cutting patterns out of pre-printed paper eliminates the need to buy some of the more expensive pre-made embellishments.

For this layout I simply hand cut out several flower, added a little glitter and then layered them. It adds great dimension and it is a fun and easy embellishment.

Here is a close up.

Here is an easy way to make a flower embellishment. Simply cut out several circles of various sizes, distress and ink the edges then layer them adding a brad at the center.

The finished product.

This adorable and totally unique project by Susan Dupre is so clever. She created the perfect fall napkin holder by cutting an acorn from pattern paper. Brilliant idea!

Check it out close up! I love how she stitched a little embroidery thread around the edges.

Marielle LeBlanc embellished her layout perfectly. She cut out several trees from pattern paper and added them to her layout. What a great look!

This gorgeous layout by Beth Root is just to fun, by cutting out some birds and flowers she added some great texture to her layout.

Christa Paustenbaugh created this sweet layout. She hand cut flowers to create a border under her title work. What a great idea!

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog this week. Have a great weekend!