A World of Gnomes

Hello and welcome to the blog.  My name is Abby Russell and I'm new to the Doodlebug design team.  This month on the blog I will be talking all about Gnomes.  Who doesn't like these cute little creatures.

I like woodland, magical, and fairy themes because they allow you to open a world of imagination and creativity.  The gnomes in my world live in trees thru small doors or mushroom houses.

At the Doodlebug you will find an assortment of gnome products.  This month I'm showcasing Gnome for the Holidays - 4th of July.

I sat down with several sheets and created a 1 page and a 2 page layout.   

The 1 page layout design consists of twelve 3x4's cut down slightly to allow for a border on a 12X12.  From the twelve, 3 were from the cut apart sheet - All American.

I embellished the layout with Prima flowers & American Crafts ribbon spool, you can find by the register at the Doodlebug.  

This design allows for multiple photos on 1 page.  I have featured 12 photos here spanning a 3 year time period.  Usually you would have trouble getting this many on a page, but by using smaller photos and a grid style it is easily achieved. 

I love these Scrapbook Generations sketchbooks you can buy at the Doodlebug.  They are a great resource to have because having it at the ready instead of looking up a sketch online is a great timesaver.  

I opened up the volume 8 sketchbook full of 2 page sketches and quickly found one that would work with my photos.

I used diecuts cut using a Cricut smart cutting machine.  If you are wanting to get familiar with using the Cricut the Doodlebug offers a beginner Cricut design space with Robin class. 

I fussy cut Gnomes from the pattern papers to add to my layout.  I placed a journal box from the 3X4 sheet and I was done.  Let's take a closer look at the pages in this 2 page layout.

Also available now at the Doodlebug from Photoplay are 3 more Gnome lines. 

 

You will see these in layouts and cards in the coming months from me.  

Another gnome creation I made this month was a card using the magic picture changer dies from Lawn Fawn.

I used the "Gnoming Around" stamp set from Stampendous.   Hannah carries many of the Stampendous gnome stamp sets.  

Pulling on the tab reveals the 2nd image magically.  My card's sentiment is 'Home is where your Gnome is".  

1st you see a cute home, then it reveals the Gnome in the home because home is where your Gnome is.  

Foundations Decor newest Gnome releases are available now to pre-order at the Doodlebug.  

I have 3 of the mushroom houses on pre-order.  I'm thinking either I will decorate 1 each in a Spring/Summer, Fall, and Winter theme or decorate all 3 in a Christmas theme to make a village of houses.  

As you can see it is so much fun to enter the world of the Gnomes and explore a world of imagination and creativity.  Happy crafting my friends.  

- Abby 

Meet the 2020 Doodlebug Design Team!

Abby Russel

Hi!  My name is Abby Russell and I’m new to the Doodlebug design team.  I’m an All the Time Mom, full time crafter and part time substitute teacher.  I live in Greene County with my husband of almost 20 years, our three teenagers (Help Us!!) and our family dog, Hazel.  

Crafting is my hobby, my passion and has come to define who I am.  I started my first scrapbook when I was 13 years old after my parents got me a disposable camera on a trip.  It only had simple journaling and no embellishments but got me hooked on photos and saving memories.  Later on, I began attending scrapbook functions with friends, started using embellishments and began our wedding album.  Two years later, when our son was born my husband got me our first digital camera which meant there was no limit in how many pictures I could take to try to capture a moment for a future project.  Scrapbooking is my way of preserving our family’s special moments, memories and history and they’re what I pour my heart into.  In the recent years, I’ve tried to get more adventurous with my page layouts and am always wanting to try new methods and tricks and find new ideas. 

Around 2005, I first got into Christmas card making and have now branched out into almost every holiday and special occasion there is.  I love to make them for our friends and family and I send them to just say “Hi” and that they’re in my heart.  I try to attend 3-4 weekend crops each year and love to travel with my family and be the photographer.  Besides scrapbooking and cards, I also enjoy Diamond Art layouts, stamping, mixed media canvas projects and the wood projects you can find at the Doodlebug.  I’m really looking forward to sharing things with you and learning from one another.

--Abby

Shawn Hillenbrand

Hi!  I am so excited to be a part of the Design Team here at the Doodlebug!  My name is Shawn Hillenbrand (as of 6/20/20 it will be Shawn Sterne).  I live in Evansville and have two interesting kids and one very spoiled dog who keep me on my toes.  In March of 2019 I lost my husband of 27 years (Jason) after a prolonged battle with cancer.  I am, however incredibly lucky to have found love again in a friend (John Sterne) that I have known for many years who lost his wife in 2019.  Expect lots of wedding layouts during this Design Team term!!!! But don’t worry, you’ll see Dobby too – and maybe Devin and Reggie if they are lucky.

I have been scrapbooking for the better part of 20 years and still mainly make pages, but I do make a card or other project every now and then. 

I don’t necessarily have any one specific style and have been known to do a little bit of everything.  Nothing much scares me to try at least once.  I do personally find myself drawn to bright bold colors.  I don’t scrapbook chronologically; I usually just do whatever strikes my fancy at the time.  I have been able to continue to feel inspired to keep scrapping by attending local crops and participating in an online community with a few hundred of my closest scrappy friends. This hobby is my creative outlet, but is also a big part of who I am and I cannot imagine my life without it.

--Shawn

Dolores Johnson



Hello,
My name is Dolores Johnson, I wanted to let you know a little bit about me. I have been married to my best friend, Roger for 42 years. Together we share four grown up sons Dan, Matt, Travis and Rob. We also have six beautiful grandchildren Macey, Hunter, Tatum, Bowen, Elizabeth and Lincoln. We live in Greenwood. I am the office manager for a commercial Insulation company in Indianapolis. I love to spend time with my family and friends, travel, read and CREATE.

I have been scrapbooking and card making for over 25 years. My scrapbooking has evolved from my kitchen tabletop (when my boys filled my house) to a whole crafting room full of my treasures. Fortunately for me having a big family supplies me with many photos to fill my scrapbook pages. I try to never buy a store-bought card, and I also try to never make two identical handmade cards to give away. Right now, the thing I enjoy making the most is “mini books”. I am very interested in the art of “junk journaling” and have that on my to do list. I am passionate about creating, learning, teaching and sharing.

My favorite thing about scrapbooking is that each one of us takes this one hobby and makes it their own. It is always created from the heart, no right way – no wrong way, its all beautiful. I am very thankful for this opportunity and I am so excited to share my perspective of creating with all you.

--Dolores


LeighAnn Frick

Hi crafty friends! My name is Leigh Ann Frick. I live in Huntingburg with my husband and our two children, ages 5 and 6.  There are also two spoiled Maltese dogs and a lazy cat here that may make an appearance in my projects. 

I have always had a love of photography and documenting my experiences. In high school my parents gave me a basic scrapbooking kit and that got me hooked. I lost interest due to a lack of options at that time. When we were planning our wedding, I found The Doodlebug and I have been scrapbooking ever since with only a few breaks when my kids were babies. 

I started with making 12x12 pages, then ventured into card making, and back to pages for several years, and dipped my toes in the world of decorative planning. In the past few years I have began making mini albums and mixed media art. I still make some layouts to document my kids, but most of my projects are minis and mixed media now. 

Some of my favorite product lines are Simple Stories, Prima, Graphic 45, and Authentique. I love using Tim Holtz and Prima products in mixed media. I am also a huge fan of Finnabair!

--Leigh Ann

Rolodex Scrapbooking

Recently my sister and I travelled to California and had the opportunity to visit the Frank Garcia’s Studio. He is the Prima Marketing Creative Director and an amazing designer. There were two samples that caught my eye as something interesting and I had not seen in person, Rolodex scrapbooks. One used the Heidi Swapp Rolodex and the other used a Tim Holtz wood tray.

A traditional Rolodex once used to hold important phone numbers and addresses and sometimes business cards. Once a must have office tool now has been reimagined as a scrapbooking tool. Unfortunately, the Heidi Swapp Rolodex has been discontinued, but you may be able to find an older office supply one around. I am using a Tim Holtz wood tray and 1/4 “ dowel rod for my sample. There are dies available to cut the cards or you can make your own. I have a collection of 3X4 journaling card from several paper collections that I plan on using. You can add in loaded envelopes with left over ephemera, shaker cards and more. The possibilities are endless!

The Rolodex is easy to have on a desk at work to scroll through and have a new picture or inspirational saying up each day.  A sample on Pinterest showed using one as a calendar. The tray sample at Frank’s studio was made by a team member and she wanted to use up leftovers from class kits, the cards theme and colors did not necessarily match and it was super cute. A great way to use up those scraps laying around.