Better Living Through Scrapbooking September Challenge 1

I absolutely love being a Design Team member at Better Living Through Scrapbooking.  The challenges are so clever and really make you look at scrapbooking in a whole new light.  I love that they make you think outside the box as well. This week's challenge is no exception.  I hope you'll join us...

“Inspirational Quote challenge”

Create a layout that is based on your favorite inspirational quote. Need some ideas? Visit http://www.inspirational-quotes.info/ for a great searchable collection of quotes.

Choose at least 2 of the following:

1. Use one 5×7 photo of a place or thing that inspires you.
2. Use a palette similar to this one:
http://www.colourlovers.com/palette/1254702/BetterScrap_Ch53
Make this a double 12×12 or double 8 1/2 x 11 layout, with at least 2 photos per page.
4. Place your title on a circular or wavy path.
5. Use a transparency of some sort on your page, whether an actual transparency sheet (Hambly Screen Prints, Fancy Pants) or transparent embellishment (Heidi Swapp Ghost Shapes, Making Memories) that you purchased, or a handmade transparency made by hand or with your computer printer.

"History is a kind of introduction to more interesting people than we can possibly meet in our restricted lives; let us not neglect the opportunity." -- Dexter Perkins

History, especially local history has interested me for as long as I can remember. So the quote by Dexter Perkins sums up my feelings about meeting people you would not have otherwise met by learning the history of times gone by. One of my favorite places (and thus a place that inspires me) in my town is the Blanchard House which is now owned by the Ionia Historical Society and serves as Ionia County's museum. I have spent a lot of time learning the history of the Blanchard house and the people who lived there.

Along with the inspirational quote I also decided to use 2 prompts from this challenge; transparencies that I created myself by stamping butterflies on transparencies and cutting them out as well as a 5 x 7 photo.

In this layout I also featured not only a photograph of the Blanchard House but also flowers made using Pink Ice Parchment paper from Discount Cardstock, a sponsor at Better Living Through Scrapbooking as well mini Poinsettia paper flowers (Bazzill) that can be purchased at Discount Cardstock. I also incorporated their Midnight Black cardstock by creating a frame for my photograph using my Gypsy and the Heritage cartridge. Graphic 45 is a sponsor at Better Scrap this month as well and so I used paper from the Le"Romantique Colletion as well as scraps from their Steampunk Debutante collection.


Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Midnight Black #80 (Discount Cardstock), Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Speciality Papers: Pink Ice Parchment (Discount Cardstock), Crystal Clear Plastic Sheets (Ellen Hutson)
Patterned Paper: Le' Romantique Collection and Steampunk Debutante Collection (Graphic 45)
Stamps: Antique Engravings (Hero Arts)
Ink: Distress Ink in Antique Linen (Ranger), Staz On Jet Black (Tsukineko)
Embellishments: Mini Poinsettia paper flowers (by Bazzill Basics available for purchase at Discount Cardstock), Crystal Sticker Pearls (Mark Richards),
Other Tools: Gyspy and Cricut with Heritage Cartridge (ProvoCraft), 2 inch scallop punch (EK Success), Old Lace Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels), Flower Die Cut and Leaf Ribbon (Papertrey Ink)