Author: Lorie Starcher

Happy St Patrick’s Day!  When I started cruising the galleries for layouts today, I thought I would go with a green theme (’cause I always need a theme), but found myself drawn to all the pretty floral pages I was seeing.  I think it is because I am more ready for spring than green beer.  LOL  Anyway, here are the flowery layouts that put me in a spring mood today.

What A Beautiful Day – ttt83

My first choice, What A Beautiful Day by ttt83, has that a natural feel to it that I totally love.  It starts with the wood background paper and just build with all the flowers, leaves and other bits and pieces she used to create her beautiful spring cluster.  I like how the mix of flat, painted flowers and leaves vs the dimensional ones in her bouquet balance her page and give it a nice sense of depth.  The addition of the word art strips, title, banner and pocket cards add the perfect amount of journaling to tell the story of ttt83’s fabulous black and white photo – just look at those smiles.  Finally, I think the blue butterfly is the perfect finishing touch to this wonderful page.

Stories – AmieN1

My second choice, Stories by AmieN1 caught my eye because of the wonderful composition.  I love the pocket that she has created with the wooden paper — her clustering makes it feel like it is full and overflowing with flowers, photos and memories.  It’s a beautiful, feminine page that provides a perfect backdrop and contrast for the photos (love the effect she used on them) of her husband vacuuming the lawn.  Yep, vacuuming the lawn.  Her journaling explains it all perfectly and certainly made me chuckle.

Pure Joy – Mother Bear

My third pick, the perfectly named Pure Joy by Mother Bear, definitely caught my attention in the gallery with that big beautiful photo.  I am always awed by fabulous photos like these ones that capture the feeling of the moment so completely.  You can definitely see the joy in her eyes and smile — it totally shines from the page.  The gorgeous floral clusters are a fantastic way to bring out the beauty of the flowers in the photo, while the layered curved papers create a nice feeling of movement against the wood background paper.  Pure joy is a lovely thing to see.

Perfectly Imperfect – ellasspace

Perfectly Imperfect by ellasspace is a beautiful layout that looks girly and spring-like at a glance but is actually rather melacholy.  I think the first glimpse you get of this is in her gorgeous photo.  The starkness of the black and white against the pink and purple is a startling contrast that immediately draws your eye to the tight crop on her subject’s downward and solemn expression.  The addition of the song lyrics and paint to the pink background further enhance the feelings evoked by the photo.  There is a certain sadness to it all that is only relieved by the big title and knowledge that we are all flawed, yet perfect in our own way.

Boho – apottinger

While my next choice, Boho by apottinger, may have fewer flowers and deeper colors than my previous choices, it still reminds me of spring.  The bokeh effect she used over and around the photo feels like sunbeams coming through the window.  I love how the wildflower title and word art is enhanced by her floral clusters and that big ol’ butterfly.  The photo is totally adorable as well, but my favorite part has to be the pieced mat.  It’s a great way to show off more gorgeous papers and create additional interest on the layout.  As a quilter, it just makes my heart happy.

What A Beautiful World – FILIPPOK

My final pick of the day, What A Beautiful World by FILIPPOK, was an easy choice.  Nothing says spring to me more than working in the garden.  The photo series of the little boy helping with the planting and watering are totally adorable.  The big floral photo, with all it’s wonderful details like the water drops, is simply gorgeous.   Purple pansies are my favorite so I may be a bit biased, but this layout is the epitome of spring to me.  I can’t wait for it to get here, but in the meantime I can easily satisfy my spring fever by looking at beautiful layouts like this.

That’s it for me.  I hope you enjoyed today’s picks.  If you have time, please click on the individual links to leave some love for these memory keepers.  Thanks!  🙂

Happy Saturday All!  We’ve all heard that a photo is worth a thousand words, and it can be, but I like words.  Honestly, I am all about the words.  I love titles, word art and heartfelt journaling more than any other part of scrapping, so it only makes sense that I love photoless layouts, right?   With the start of the new year, it seems that there are more photo-less layouts in the gallery, so I thought I would share some of my current favorites with you.

Note To Future Self – Roboliver

My first choice by Roboliver is a wonderful example of scrap therapy, you know, working through emotions and/or problems by creating a beautiful layout and throwing everything you are feeling at the canvas.  Scrap therapy is a fabulous tool, one I often use, and Roboliver uses it well.  Her open and honest journaling really touched my heart.  Dealing with a loved one’s seasonal depression can be overwhelming, so approaching it with a positive attitude is not easy.  Yet Roboliver’s layout makes it apparent that she does just that, as detailed in her words and through her color and element choices.  Sure, she’s got a sad little star and a lemon, but she’s also got bright, happy colors and the phrase, you got this, because she does.

I’m A Work In Progress – Juli Fish

My next choice, I’m a Work in Progess by Julie Fish is another great example of a photoless layout.  While this one is not scrap therapy in the same manner as the previous layout, it’s purpose is just as meaningful.  By using her artistry to highlight her goals, Juli is creating a concrete image to help motivate and inspire her as she works towards fulfilling them.  I love the sets of yellow chevrons that point to her statement piece, “I am a work in progress,” and I think the balance of her composition speaks to the “balance” she is seeking through self improvement.  I also love that she added a heart and the plus sign background paper, because it makes me think that while Julie may be a work in progress who sees room for improvement, she is also a happy, positive person who likes who she is right now.

Did You Say Squirrel -jaye

As some one who squirrels way too much, I totally love Did You Say Squirrel by Jaye.  Her choice of word art perfectly supports her journaling, which is very entertaining and relate-able.  I love the chaotic jumble of letters that represent her jumbled thoughts, the messy paint on the background that echoes the “glorious mess called life” word art and the pink twirling ribbon that caught my attention and made me squirrel for a minute like pretty things often do.  But my favorite part is the word strip, It’s Okay, because really it is.  A little squirrel now and then never hurt anyone and actually helped create an extremely lovely and fabulously fun layout.

You – AliceM

While it is usually great journaling that pulls me into a photo-less layout, I find beautiful composition, like that of my next pick, You by AliceM, equally compelling.  I love how the floral clusters anchor the top and bottom of the layout and play up the colorful pops of patterned papers.  The floral clusters themselves are well done and remind me of a spring bouquet.  The paint splatters are messy and fun and the lace doily is pretty and sweet.  The softness of her elements and papers is a wonderful juxtaposition to her tough word art, Hell Yeah and Bring It On.  There may not be a lot of words here, but the ones she does use makes her message loud and clear — she is both beautiful and strong and not afraid to go after what she wants.

Be Kind – Jacinda Prattley

When I saw Be Kind by Jacinda Prattley, I immediately fell in love with it.  This is my favorite kind of photo-less layouts, one with a stirring message for our kids.  As parents we try to instill the best values and qualities we can in our children through our own words and deeds.  By turning her beautifully written message to her kids into a equally beautiful layout, Jacinda has created a lasting lesson and treasure for her children.  I love that she used the word strips throughout her journaling to emphasize certain points and ideas and “signed” it with hugs and kisses.  The shadow on her pocket card is wonderful and her judicial use of only a few elements allows her journaling to rightfully take center stage.

Dear Future Me – jenn mccabe

My final choice for today, Dear Future Me by Jenn McCabe is a beautifully written and composed message from the artist to her future self.  By writing to her future self, she gets to create a list of sorts on the things she is currently doing well or things she needs to be doing to improve herself.  Her letter is an introspective affirmation of her past choices, both good and bad, and the way they have shaped the person she is and hopes to become.  She also created a fun cluster full of images and word art to support her journaling and give her layout a more relaxed, playful feel that highlights the main theme of her overall message, be happy and enjoy the moment.

That’s it for me.  I hope you enjoyed today’s picks.  If you have time, please click on the individual links to leave some love for these memory keepers.  Thanks!  🙂

Happy Saturday!  I am not sure if I have mentioned it, but I am not a winter person.  Cold? No Thanks.  Snow?  No way.  Ice? Never!  Having said that, cold weather hit Indiana hard this week and there doesn’t seem to be an end in site.  So, since I can’t beat the cold, I figured I would find some winter pages in the gallery that made it look beautiful and appealing.  😉

Winter – AmieN1

My first choice Winter by AmieN1 was a good start to feeling better about the weather.  Her gorgeous photo sure makes all that snow and ice look magical.  I love the way the brilliant blue sky makes the photo pop against her white background — the same way it pops against the snow.  Her choice of papers echos the feeling of the photo with the neutrals, whites and greens and creates a beautiful backdrop.  The deer/winter wonderland pocket card is perfect as well, because there just have to be some deer in those woods, right?  Her lack of embellishments is also spot on as it alludes to the starkness of winter.  All around a fabulous winter page.

Winter Is Magic – Anne PC

The title of my second page, Winter is Magic by Anne PC, seems a little over optimistic to me, but the layout delivers.  After all, what is more magical than a child playing in the snow?  Her photos capture the joy and delight of frolicking in a winter wonderland perfectly.  Look at those rosy cheeks and that infectious smile.  While they didn’t quite make me want to roll around in the snow, they sure did make me grin.  I love that she kept her elements minimal and background neutral to echo the look and feel of newly fallen snow, but added the triangle mat for a bit of interest.  Another great page that makes the cold stuff look fun, not frozen.

Wonder – Isa Marks

Wonder by Isa Marks, my third pick, was an easy choice because it echos a lot of my winter emotions.  I wonder where all the snow is coming from and when it will end, and look no where as happy and beautiful as her photo subject, doing it.  With her eyes lifted to the sky and her arms open wide, the young girl is embracing the beauty and yes, wonder, of the season.  It is a fabulous photo and she highlights it beautifully with lots of mats, ribbons and paint.  I like her use of some non-traditional winter colors, the gold, pink and black, to add a punch of color to her page.  It gives the layout a sense of joy that further enhances her photo.  Finally the use of vellum feels a bit like a thin layer of snow over the grass and leaves, creating another fantastic winter layout.

Nilla – rfeewjlj

So, technically my next page is not a winter page, but I was getting cold and thought a heart warming page that I totally love, would be a good addition. Nilla, the layout by rfeewjij, is just as adorable as Nilla herself.  The way that rfeewjij framed the photo of Nilla, with the words, “Rescued is my favorite breed,” definitely called to me from the gallery as I have three rescue pups of my own.  Nilla’s eyes and her story also pulled me in as both are a little sad, but also full of hope for a wonderful future.  I like that rfeewijij kept the elements and matting simple and let Nilla and her story stand out.  She is a sweet little girl who does deserve a loving forever home and family and I hope she gets it soon. Like I said earlier, this is a heartwarming, and beautiful, layout.

Hello Cold Days – Lynn Marie

My next choice, Hello Cold Days by Lynn Marie, takes us back outside to the snow in a way that I can relate too.  I think the photo is fun — I love the downward view to the snow and her nice boots.  I think she plays it up beautifully with her choice of colors and elements.  By pulling the brown/tan of her coat and boots and the blue of her jeans into the snowy background, she creates the perfect, seasonal backdrop for the photo.  All that is fabulous, but I think I like her journaling best of all.  “Silver white winters that melt into springs.”  Now we’re talking about some of my favorite things too.

Comfy, Cozy, Cocoa Dreams – FILIPPOK

I choose my final pick of the day, Comfy, Cozy, Cocoa Dreams by FILIPPOK, because of the adorable photos and because if I have to do winter, I want to do it comfy and cozy too.  The photos totally capture the joy of the moment in a way we can all relate too.  How many times have we blown on a cup of hot cocoa with that look of anticipation in our eyes?  More than once I am sure.  The reds from the photos tie into the reds, blues and grays of the papers providing a strong punch of color that is softened by the pinks, greens and whites.  Finally, I love all the layers around the photo that echo the busyness of the background papers and provide a sense of excitement and a feeling of warmth that comes from within or a good cup of cocoa.

That’s it for me.  I hope you enjoyed today’s picks.  If you have time, please click on the individual links to leave some love for these memory keepers.  Thanks!  🙂

Happy Saturday!  I hope you’re having a good one.  To be honest, it’s been a rather bleak one here, weather wise.  We have had a cold rain falling all day, accompanied by howling winds and dark skies.  Definitely a good day to stay inside and do some gallery stalking.  I hope you enjoy my picks — they sure picked me up.

Grateful – Thanksgiving 2015 – Heidi Nicloe

My first choice today is Grateful – Thanksgiving 2015 by Heidi Nicole.  I love the simplicity of the page because it allows everything she used stand out and make statement.  The straight composition, with the arrows, stitching, flowers and small scatter draws your eye across the layout and right to that photo.  I really like the choice of black and white for the photo because it showcases the resemblance between mother and daughter.  The heartfelt journal is the perfect way to finish this wonderful page.

Rennes 09 08 2015 – katell

I think the title work, Magic Moment, perfectly describes my next choice by Katell.  The photos are simply gorgeous and give us a rare glimpse (at least for me) into a part of nature we seldom get to see.  I love the crop on the photo — the different shape adds even more interest to the shot.  Her split background and choice of papers, (love, love, love the tree paper) creates a wonderful base for her photos while her paint splatters play up the marsh grass and water in the photo.  Definitely a magical layout.

Sweet Memories – mrsashbaugh

I love a good cluster so Sweet Memories by mrsashbaugh totally caught my eye.  The color palette is soft and beautiful and suits the adorable photo perfectly.  The pops of black in the palette create a strong visual triangle that further enhances the photo.  The mix of patterned papers creates a lot of interest while maintaining a sense of harmony with the photo and pocket card.  Finally, I love the touch of gold in the flowers, paints and scatters — after all, every girl, big or small, needs a little bling.

Birthday Interview – mrivas

It was the photo and the floral of my fourth pick, Birthday Interview by mrivas, that caught my eye.  The photo composition, with it’s play on colors and casual pose, highlights the Birthday Girl’s natural beauty in the most flattering way possible.  The floral 12 manages to stand out on the background without taking over the layout.  I love the birthday interview and the way she makes it feel like part of the background, but keeps it easy to read.  Last but not least, I like that the element clusters anchor the photo as well as draw your eye to it.  Beautifully done.

Grateful – Isa Marks

Grateful by Isa Marks is another beautifully layered page with a fabulous photo.  Again, I love the use of the black and white photo with it’s worn overlay because of the way it highlights the movement of her hair.  Her individual paper choices are gorgeous and tied together by her use of the floral pocket card as a photo mat.  While her use of elements is limited, what she does use are perfect to support her photo and her message of gratitude. Finally, her shadow work is some of the best I have seen.  I am completely awed by it.

Give Thanks Today – luan37

My final pick of the day, Give Thanks Today by luan37 is another example of great clustering.  Her use of paint for her first layer creates a light base against her background that makes the entire cluster stand out.  Her paper selections are a great choice to support her fall photo and gratitude theme.  I love how she uses bits of navy blue to break up the traditional fall palette and add more visual interest to her page.  By keeping her elements pretty simple, she gives her layout a natural feel that further enhances her photo.

That’s it for me.  I hope you enjoyed today’s picks.  If you have time, please click on the individual links to leave some love for these memory keepers.  Thanks!  🙂

Happy Saturday!  I couldn’t help but notice all the beautiful Christmas layouts that have hit the galleries this weekend, but I’m just not ready for Christmas yet.  I still want to enjoy what Fall has to offer, like these gorgeous layouts I picked to share with you.

be thankful – sylvia

I was drawn to this first layout, be thankful by sylvia, because of the wonderful color palette in the photo.  The autumn gold sweater and overalls just say fall fun to me.  I also like the angle of the photo and the way she cropped it — it adds so much interest.  Her choice of accents are equally pleasing.  The three swirls are reminiscent of leaves blowing around them and the buttons are perfect to anchor her photo.  Finally, I love the top of the tag peaking from the lower left corner of the page and her be Thankful message.

Love Autumn Days – Giseli Freitas

Love Autumn Days by Giseli Freitas stood out in the gallery because of the fabulous cluster she created with those big, wonderful leaves — they just shout fall.  I love how she combined the realistic leaves with the flat branches, paint and pink flowers to add more interest to her cluster.  The doily and hearts highlight her photo well, while adding even more dimension and realism to  the page.  Her choice of word art finishes the layout perfectly.

weathered – chigirl

The colors and textures of weathered by chigirl are what drew me to her layout.  Granted, they do not say fall like the previous two layouts, but they speak of change, which says fall to me.  The blending on the background is fabulous and definitely creates the weathered look of the title and word art.  Her choice of elements maintains the monochromatic look and worn feel of the page, which lets her photo stand out beautifully.

Dreams – Anne PC

Again, it was the color palette that drew me to Dream by Anne PC.  The mix of coral and aqua is absolutely gorgeous and a nice twist on more traditional fall palettes I am seeing now.  Her color scheme is perfect for her wonderful photo as well.  I love her simple composition, her paper choices and the use of black as an accent against the coral and aqua.  Her use of the quote, with supporting word art strips is a great way to journal.

Beautiful All Around – ArmyGrl

Beautiful All Around by ArmyGrl is just that, beautiful.  Her exquisite photo rightfully takes center stage, and carries, this layout.  I love how the background of the photo is blurred to create a canopy of color for the highlighted branch.  The orange boarder is the perfect pop of color against the dark background and the enamel heart pin is just the right touch to finish the layout and emphasize her message of a grateful heart.

Photogenic – Anny-Libelle

Much like weathered, Photogenic by Anny-Libelle, isn’t your typical fall layout, even though it incorporates a “fallish” color scheme and fall photos.  The photography theme and the addition of black and poppy red gives this layout more pop and contrast which in turn makes the photos shine.  Her fun element choices further highlight her theme and I especially love her use of the film strip background and the white stitching.  This is a striking page that perfectly shows off her striking photos.

That’s it for me.  I hope you enjoyed today’s picks.  If you have time, please click on the individual links to leave some love for these memory keepers.  Thanks!  🙂

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Happy Saturday!  I don’t know about you, but Autumn has to be my favorite time of year.  I love the crispness in the air, the rustle of the leaves, and the beautiful fall colors that fill the trees and my favorite scrapbook galleries.  Take a look at the gorgeous fall pages I found to share with you today.

Colorful October – nhudao

This first layout, Colorful October by nhudao, caught my eye right away in the gallery.  I love the use of white space here — it feels so crisp and clean, much like the air this time of year.  I like that the paper blocks behind that sweet photo mimic the banner in the upper corner, right down to the use of black stitching.  I think her paper choices are fabulous, especially the plaid, as the soft pink and black made a nice addition to the usual fall pallet.  Finally, I love her use of that great quote for her journaling.

Fall Is For – Sucali

Fall Is For by Sucali also caught my eye right away.  The movement of her elements across the page reminds me of the wind moving the leaves across my yard – both delicate and hardy – the way so many Autumn days can be.  I like that Susan stuck with the smaller fall palette, the olive, rust and cream, that is prevalent in her photo.  It gives the layout a sense of quiet cohesiveness while still clearly saying fall.  All in all, just beautiful work.

Smile – erica zane

Smile by Erica Zane did exactly that, made me smile.  I think the photos are adorable, especially the one taken from above and looking down into that sweet grin.  Erica also kept to a smaller fall palette that lets her photos pop off the page against that wonderful floral background.  Keeping her elements simple also allows the ones she did use to shine.  I love the chunky frames, the flowers and the leaves, but I absolutely adore her two enamel pins, the deer and heart bubble, and the way she has them arranged.  Such a sweet touch to a great layout.

BlessedX3 – immaculeah

BlessedX3 by immaculeah popped out to me for at least three other reasons beyond her beautiful daughters.  First I love that immaculeah has concentrated on filling only the bottom third of her layout and left the upper two thirds bare, combining a gorgeous cluster with some wonderful white space.  Second, that cluster feels as riotous and natural as a slightly overgrown fall garden and every bit as beautiful.  Finally, reason number three is the pop of lace at the bottom.  It gives the layout just the right touch of feminine elegance while enhancing the smiles on the faces of her three blessings.

Hello October – KingsQueen82

Hello October by KingsQueen82 showcases some of the best things about fall — sweatshirts, pumpkins, hay bales and plenty of leaves.  I love KingsQueen82’s use of the wood background — even dressed up with paint splatters and dots it still feels like a fall hike in the woods.  The big leaf is definitely an eye catcher and makes a wonderful mat for her photo.  Both her large and small floral clusters are beautiful and anchor her photo well.  Finally I like the peaks of patterned papers and that big Hello October title.

Wonderfall – weaselwatchr

My final pick today is Wonderfall by weaselwatchr.  Again, I love the use of wood on a fall layout, and this dark wood is especially striking.  I like that her paper strips echo her photo strip and that she has kept her embellishments simple, which allows the photos to take center stage.  The leaf photos themselves are a wonderful combination of color and texture that says fall so perfectly.  Truly a wonderfall layout.

That’s it for me.  I hope you enjoyed today’s picks.  If you have time, please click on the individual links to leave some love for these memory keepers.  Thanks!  🙂

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Happy Saturday!  I hope you are having a great weekend and enjoying some nice weather.  Indian Summer has hit Indiana and it’s been in the 90’s today, so I’ve been outside savoring the sunshine and heat, because I know it won’t last.  While it may still feel like summer, I did find a few signs that Autumn is here in the galleries I visited.

6 – mrivas

Nothing says “so long, summer” better than a back to school page like 6 by mrivas.  I love the size and pattern of the six that indicates her daughter’s grade level — it makes such a pretty statement.  I also love her cluster with the cute school supplies and the use of the notebook paper to journal on.  The other small touches, like the stitching, the day tab, the owl and the journal strips finish this layout perfectly.

Autumn – shunnstergirl

The beauty of Autumn by shunnstergirl made it pop right out of the gallery for me.  I love the way the big scenic fall photo pulls you in and transports you to that gorgeous place. Her choice of background papers is spot on and the floral clusters she created offset the photo perfectly.  The addition of the hat, mittens and journal cards are fun autumn touches that carry her theme to completion.

Autumn Splendor – EHStudios

Autumn Splendor is another beautiful fall layout that caught my eye because of it’s atypical color scheme.  Instead of the warm browns and creams usually associated with autumn, we get a cool gray with a wonderful leaf pattern, bright teals and dark blues with pops of orange and raspberry.  The black and white photos stand out for their lack of color and the paint splatters remind me of leaves scattered across the ground.

Halloween – aimen1

Halloween pages in the galleries definitely mean that fall is in the air.  I love the sophistication of this layout by aiemn1.  The use of a lovely non-costumed photo combined with a spooky black background and the glittery web, leaves and branches gives this page a bewitching, yet playful, feeling.  That playfulness is further enhanced by the use of non-traditional colors like pink and green and non-traditional elements like hearts and lace.

Too Cute To Spook – Hillary

Hillary is one of those scrappers who can do so much with so little as she does on Too Cute To Spook.  Her deceptively simple layout has all the right pieces — the string, word strip and boo label — to make it come together in a big way.  I especially love her use of the plaid papers to pull all the elements together.   Honestly, when you have a photo this adorable, you want to keep things simple so that smile can shine.

My Heroes – msbamf2you

My final pick today is another explosion of color.  I love the blending of the photo into the paint splatters and her use of the half-tone layer.  It and the white burst add a sense of whimsy to the layout that suits the photo.  The white burst also works with the strip of multi-colored chevrons to add movement to that layout that echos the movement of the slide.  The floral cluster and scatter elements are a fun finish to a fabulous page.

That’s it for me.  I hope you enjoyed the layouts I shared with you today.  If you have time, please click on the individual links to leave some love for these memory keepers.  Thanks!  🙂