The Constant Scrapper

If I'm not scrapbooking I'm thinking about scrapbooking!

one-page layouts

Twinkle toes

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Twisted Sketches has revealed its latest sketch, #135, and the twist is “sparkle.” Be sure to head over to the site to grab the sketch and see all the other design team members’ beautiful examples, then create something of your own and link it up!

Here is what I created using this great new sketch:

TwinkleToes_Daquila-Pardo

Matt is trying a style of running called barefoot running, and these are his new barefoot shoes.

Matt started running last spring. He has always wanted to be a runner, and now he’s really enjoying it (most of the time). When Matt gets into something, he really gets into it. He reads everything he can and becomes a bit of a home-grown expert on the topic.

In his effort to know more about running and how to do it safely (fully 80% of runners get injured each year!), he read the book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. In addition to going into the history of running, etc., McDougall explains the concept of barefoot running. The idea, simply put, is that wearing traditional running shoes sets up the body for injury because it forces you to run heel first. Slamming your foot into the ground like a club causes high-impact stress on the ankle, heel, knee and back. Barefoot running (wearing minimalist shoes that just provide protection from the ground) forces you to run and walk as your foot was built to be used. It allows you to use all the muscles and bones in your foot to carry you along, taking advantage of the natural shock absorbers of your feet, calves and legs.

Having read that you can’t just put on a pair of minimalist shoes and start running, Matt is wearing his new FiveFingers around the house to allow his feet to adjust. I’m more of the walking type, but I think I may get a pair of these shoes for myself if they make a real difference for Matt. The more natural the better!

Friendship needs no words

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NoWords_Daquila-Pardo

This is a photo that just makes my heart smile.

I had flown home to North Carolina to spend a week of summer 2004 with my family. On this day Daddy was out in the front yard building a little brick border around a flower bed, and Mom and I were hanging out with him while he worked. We had Spenser out with us, and he was flitting about sniffing this and inspecting that. I was so fortunate that I had my camera on me for this shot when Spenser made his way over to Daddy and gave him a good long sniff. Dad sniffed back, and I caught their “kiss” forever.

Their friendship was extraordinary.

Tangerine tango

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The first-ever Sketches with a Twist sketch and design team sample layouts are now live on their site! This is a brand-new sketch blog that you must check out. It’s a sketch challenge site, where each sketch comes with a twist (for instance, the twist this month is to use at least two fonts in your title). A new sketch will be loaded on the first of each month, and entries will close on the last day. Then the winner will be announced on the 5th of the month.

I didn’t just design the sketch (which I hope you’ll go download and use), but I also made this layout:

Tangerine_Daquila-Pardo

My brother and I went on a scavenger hunt for orange items to photograph for this layout.

The story behind this layout began with a desire to celebrate the transition to a new calendar year, but without resorting to a resolutions page. I love color, as I imagine most scrappers do. And I know that The Pantone Instititute names a new color to watch each year. Their top color for 2012 is Tangerine Tango, an energetic reddish-orange. We should expect to see this color in everything from fashion to home decor to our beloved scrapbook products.

My baby brother, Phil, is in town celebrating the old and new years with us, and he and I are always looking for a good creative project. When I mentioned going out on a photo shoot specifically for a layout about color, Phil was already attaching his fish-eye lens to his camera! We spent a few hours out in the beautiful afternoon sun searching for the orange of the world, a hunt that sharpened our vision for the traffic cones, signs, clothing and flowers that surround us.

And so, my layout is an ode to all color, to optimism, to energy, to new beginnings and to 2012.

Joy to the world!

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Sketchabilities has revealed its latest sketch, #62! Be sure to head over to the site to grab the sketch, then create something and link it up!

Here’s my Design Team layout inspired by the sketch.

JoyToTheWorld_Daquila-Pardo

The vintage feel of this Echo Park collection were just right for the colors in these photos from 1978.

These are photos from Christmas 1978. Our Aunt Mary Lou (yawning in the middle photo) came from Pennsylvania to spend the holiday with us; we always had a great time when she visited. Of course, I received awesome gifts, including a sled, a Neil Diamond album, figure skates and…wait for it…an AM-FM digital clock radio! Now that was a cool gift in 1978, and as you can see from the photo, I was pretty excited. In fact, there is a photo of me with my mouth wide open in surprise from just about every Christmas through the years! I love surprises, and I’m not afraid to show it. 😉

I used paper from the Echo Park Season’s Greetings line because their vintage color scheme went well with the gold and red tones in my photos. The plaid scalloped circle was cut using a Silhouette cutting file.

This is my final layout as a member of the Sketchabilities design team. I can’t believe how quickly the time went! I really enjoyed being on the team and feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to lend inspiration to those using Karan Gerber’s beautiful sketches. They were a delight to create with, and I will miss the group. Best of luck to you in the new year, Karan, and thank you again for selecting me to showcase your sketches!

Cookies made especially for Santa

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Twisted Sketches has revealed its latest sketch, #133, and the twist is “jewel.” Be sure to head over to the site to grab the sketch and see all the other design team members’ beautiful examples, then create something of your own and link it up! 🙂

Here is what I created using this great new sketch:

CookiesForSanta_Daquila-Pardo

That "Cookies for Santa" title came from the Silhouette store and is for decorating plates for Santa's cookies.

To make this layout I used a punch to create the decorative edge that I adhered to the circle. Then I used a craft knife to cut around the edges of the Christmas trees on the background paper so I could tuck the circle in behind them. The title is a cut file I purchased at the Silhouette store that is intended to be used to decorate a small plate that will hold cookies for Santa. I thought it was perfect with this sketch and my photo! Now the background circle resembles a cookie plate. The little gift bow element is made from another Silhouette file and is topped with a jewel (this sketch’s twist). All the patterned paper is from an older My Mind’s Eye Christmas collection.

The photo if of my brother and me on Christmas Eve 1973. I just adore that impish look on Phil’s sweet face. We’re in the basement, where we put our Christmas tree and hung our stockings (until several years later when my parents put an addition on our family room, and we moved the celebration up there). Wearing our pajamas and putting out Santa’s cookies means it was time for us to head to bed and visions of sugarplums. But you can see on our faces that we were much too excited for sleep!