First Smile

I was really scared to scrap this photo. Why? Because this is a big moment! Your baby's first smile? Absolutely a big moment. Now, out of full disclosure, this was not his first, FIRST smile. I wasn't fast enough with the iPhone to capture that. But, this shot was taken the same day, just a few hours later.

 (Supplies: Fancy Pants Designs paper, ribbon & tag; Bazzill & DCWV cardstock; felt flower embellishment handmade by Michelle McCord; Miscellaneous buttons & date stamp; DMC embroidery floss; Sakura pen; StazOn & Close To My Heart ink; EK Success punches; Cuttlebug embosser & templates; Cricut die-cutting machine; Glue Arts, Thermoweb & Helmar adhesives; font downloaded from the Internet.)

I am so happy with the way this layout came out. Again, it was born from several different inspiration points. First, Memorable Seasons and Club CK both issued challenges to use a sunburst/sunbeams on a layout - a very hot trend right now! I love this look and did use the technique on a couple layouts years ago, and am happy to see it's all the rage right now. I think it's a great way to use up scraps too and I had been hoarding these scraps of Fancy Pants On A Whimsy Collection. 

Speaking of hoarding, that leads me to the next inspiration point - Challenge #9 at Big Picture Classes Big Idea Festival. Wendy Smedley challenged us to create a layout showcasing something we have learned from the festival. So this layout encompasses two different things I have learned from other big ideas during the festival. 

1. Use those hoarded supplies. You know, that one thing you wer holding onto for that perfect layout. Well, on this layout, besides using up my hoarded On A Whimsy collection, I used one of five felt embellishments that was handmade by fellow scrapper, Michelle McCord. (Unfortunately, Michelle's #1 job as a Mom has caused her to have to put scrapbooking on the back burner.) I cannot believe how perfectly these two hoarded supplies went together! 
2. Happy Crafting. Create a layout for you and do what you love. Don't just do something on a layout because it's trendy and you think you have to. Do what feels right to you and makes you happy. Period. Yes, sunbursts are trendy, but remember I said I've used the technique before? Every moment creating this layout was a happy one.

Then, there was this awesome sketch from Boys Rule. Great sketch, huh? Well, as I studied it I started seeing it as a sunburst, since I obviously had sunbursts running through my brain. I think my sunburst interpretation if the sketch turned out well. 

Finally, there was the issue of embellishing. I didn't want to do too much because I already had lots of busy patterned paper and that adorable handmade felt flower to use. Well, there's a member challenge over at Two Peas to use your punches and die-cutting machines. Perfect! I used this prompt to die-cut my title using my Cricut and a cute kiddie font. (Sorry! Can't remember the exact name of the font now.) Then I used my old EK Success funky heart and star punches (and my Cuttlebug embosser) to create simple cardstock embellies. But, I still needed a little more. So I turned to the School House Bingo challenge at My Sketch World and chose a line on the bingo card that required I use buttons, a tag and a number in my title. Great! Done!

Whew! Okay, I think I'm done rambling. But, I love this layout so much and wanted to let you all know how I went through the creative process to come to the final result and also give credit to the awesome web sites who provided me with fantastic inspiration points.