You Are Awesome - Card

Let me say this is not my usual style of card, it's a little... out there. Totally bright and over the top. All of my younger nieces have birthdays in June and August it was time to start making cards that can be used for birthdays.

This will be perfect for my niece Harmony, she has a bright and bubbly personality, I know she will love it.

Featuring:

• Lawn Fawn's Teeny Tiny backgrounds 
• Technique Tuesday's Favorite Circles 
• Echo Park's Little Girl
• Stampin' Up Ink in Basic Grey
• Distress Ink in Dusty Concord
• Colorbox Chalk Ink in Lime Pastel
• Spellbinders Beaded Circles Die
• EK Success 1 3/4" Circle Punch
• Lifestyle Crafts Nested Circle Dies

Thanks for stopping by!

Cousins at Play

Another week means another Sketch Support layout. I've been sick so this week is coming in at the last minute, I'm proud that I got it done at all. Again this week I chose to do one side of the sketch and changed several things. This is the first page I've sewn on and it clearly shows. Oh well, I'll keep getting better and maybe one day it I'll be able to sew in a straight line. Thanks for stopping by. I hope to be well eventually and be back up to blogging regularly.

Thicker storage video

I ramble a bit and I apologize for that. Also you will notice that I 'talk' with my hands, my mom is to blame for that trait.

To recap my categories are; White, Plain, Glitter, and Printed. Colors are broken down within the categories. It's odd I'll admit but it works!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wind Blown

Another layout featuring my niece, hard to believe the little girl in these pictures is about to turn 14. Yikes!

I'm going through the Sketch Support Class with an online group. Maybe being with a group, that we loving refer to ourselves as "The Fizzlers", will help me actually complete this class. Chances aren't great but it's always nice to have a dream.

My layout for the first sketch, which I veered from fairly drastically.

If you are taking, or have taken, the class you will be able to see all the differences from the original sketch. It's pretty drastic but this is what worked for my photos and papers.

This was a hard layout to make, nothing wanted to come together in a way that I liked. At first I tried to use the bottom patterned paper strip as the background, the Carta Bella Cool Summer paper is so cute but it was overpowering for an entire background. Once I settled on the white cardstock it felt cold. I used my go-to method of making a frame out of another color, the pink made everything come together and not seem so sterile.

Something still wasn't coming together and I thought why not go on stamp overload. I love my stamps but I know I need to use them more, I figured this would be a good time to try and if I didn't like the results it was only plain cardstock that I would have to throw away. In all I believe I used 5 stamp sets on this one page, something I'm definitely trying again.

I also challenged myself to use some Thickers that were an impulse purchase. I had never seen these before and they were at TJMaxx for $1.49 each, why not buy them that cheap. As I put them away I was wondering how in the world would I use them, they weren't my normal chipboard or foam in easy to read fonts, these are a little different. They somehow worked for this page, at least I hope they do.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope to get another haul up soon.

My Scraps and More Haul video

I hate my voice but I hope you enjoy the video. My goal is to up my YouTube time so that I might be able to do process videos.

Halloween 2012

You can tell I'm great with the clever titles, right?

This will conclude my attempt at the NSD challenges. I wish I could get more in but there just isn't time, at least with the time constraints. I still plan on trying the color challenge from the SG blog, I love the ombre look and haven't gotten around to making a layout with that look.

This particular layout goes along with Shimelle's challenge to use brads or eyelets. Brads are an easy one, I use those on almost every layout I do already. For this page I decided to dig deep within my stash, and I struck gold! Okay, I struck green

For this layout I used Doodlebugs Haunted Manor, it was the perfect colors to go with his dragon costume. I finally pulled out my Studio AE stamp set from October 2011, I'm so ashamed that it took this long to use it. Along with some scraps from Echo Park Springtime and Playground, Am I the only one with scraps that seem to multiply in night? My signature move lately is POW! glitter paper and this layout was no exception.

For the challenge portion I found some green eyelets that set of my stamping perfectly. Honestly, I was shocked that I had the right color, my eyelet stash is incredibly low. The best part was trying to find my eyelet setter, I had to leave the layout one day and resume the next when I finally found it. Ah, adventures in scrapbooking. Side bonus, I found something else I had been looking for, isn't that the way it always goes?

This will only be one of the layouts for Riley's first Halloween. It was a party held the weekend before at a friends church. Riley won a costume contest, no one could resist my cute little dragon.

You Are So Loved

I had a layout in my bookmarks at Two Peas for a while now using Echo Park's This & That Charming. With one of the challenges on Two Peas to go to your bookmarks for inspiration it was the perfect time to lift it. Lynn Ghahry took my breath away with this layout, it's such a perfect page. It would have never occurred to me to use that collection with a newborn photo but it works.

I've almost duplicated it exactly. If the scrapbook store I bought this at carried the 6x12 chipboard then I would have copied it exactly. It is the perfect way to showcase one of the newborn photos for my son's album, the colors worked with the photo perfectly.

Usually I shy away from buying the matching chipboard for a collection. When I can only think of a way to use one or two of the elements why would I buy the whole thing?

One of the pieces on the layered chipboard piece was an antique car that I knew I wouldn't use, until Lynn showed me how. She used it as a layer for one of the pieces from the 6x12 chipboard sheet in the collection, since I didn't have that I used one of the stickers from the element sticker sheet. Overall it gives the same feel because the shapes are the same, just a bit different in size. Because the sticker can bend I made sure to put foam adhesive under the portion that didn't have chipboard backing it.

There is another sticker layered with chipboard at the bottom as well. This is one of those why didn't I think of that moments, it's a simple concept really. Now I'm looking forward to figuring out how to incorporate some of the other images from the layered chipboard pieces, even if it's just as a background layer.

Linked with Two Peas in a Bucket NSD bookmark challenge.

First Birthday Party

This is just one of the layouts about his first birthday. It's such a big occasion that there is no way I could get everything into one layout. You may think it's a tad overboard, rightly so, I apologize in advance.

Every page will be done primarily with the Bella Blvd. Birthday Boy and Birthday Girl collections. I actually based the colors for the party of those collections, why not have a built in collection to turn to when it comes time to scrap? Since the theme, hot air balloons, really do not have a specific color palette built in it seemed like a good way to go.

Now to the layout.

This is based on a sketch from, Sketches for Scrapbooking Vol. 8 by Scrapbook Generations. You will see me talk a lot about these books because they have truly changed the way I scrap. My layout is based on the last sketch in the book, #30. I made several changes, most notably that I added one extra photo giving me 14 in total.

Left side close up. I think this could easily be adapted to a one page layout by scooting the photos and patterned paper over one to two inches. I love all the photos that you can fit on this layout. It makes it very easy to really capture what happened a big event.

This features the Two Peas in a Bucket free NSD cut file, those tickets are adorable and I thought it would make the perfect accent on this page. Originally I had enamel dots near the brad and every time I walked by the layout something bugged me. I switched those out for wood veneer stars covered in stickles and all was right with the world. A reminder that just because something might be a hot embellishment to use that doesn't mean you have to use it.

The use of some American Crafts glitter paper and stickles on the stars makes it perfect for Shimelle's make it sparkle challenge. Boy pages can use glitter too.

I like to use a visual triangle when creating my embellishment cluster but the design didn't allow for that as easily as most layouts. The balloons behind my son can be seen in other photos giving me the perfect space for an extra hit of embellishment and sparkle.

National Scrapbooking Day challenges are still running in some places and this layout will be linked to:

Shimelle's Scrapbook a Double Page Layout Challenge

Shimelle's Fancy Cutting Challenge

Shimelle's Make it Sparkle Challenge

Two Peas in a Bucket NSD Freebie Cut File Challenge

First Haircut

Again I'm playing along at Scrapbook Generations blog, they are just the best. I can't wait until they have the full online retail store up, I can feel the money coming out of account already.

This also goes along with some of the many challenges on Shimelle's blog.

This fits only one challenge, but what I fun one. I'm primarily a one-page scrapper and couldn't pass up the chance to show the SG family how much I love their sketches.

3. One-Page Sketch Challenge

The one-page sketch I choose is from Sketches for Scrapbooking One-Page Sketches, Volume 2. It's the 26th sketch in the book. I made a few changes, the biggest was I straightened the photos, they are askew in the sketch. I used hidden journaling, instead of the strips. Also, I moved the embellishment near the title to the left side. That left me more room and made for a better visual triangle. You can see that I used washi, 5 strips in all, under my patterned paper strips. A couple of the patterned paper strips also switched places, it worked better for my paper that way.

I finally used one of my Whisker Graphics bags for hidden journaling. While there is nothing profound or personal to be said, it still really didn't need to be seen. Our family stylist moved last year and we had to find someone else to cut Riley's hair, not something that really needed to be seen on the page, but I still wanted to add it somewhere.

For one of Shimelle's challenges I did some fancy cutting. How adorable is that silhouette cut? It is Design #17788 in the online store. I cut it out of American Crafts Pow! glitter paper in silver. I'm obsessed with this paper, I use it all the time and try to use it on almost every layout I make. It's thin and flexible, cuts beautifully on the silhouette, and the glitter does NOT flake off. You can't see just how sparkly it is on screen, it's so much better in person. Do yourself a favor and pick some up. One warning, it is fairly slick so if you need to stick something on top you might have to use a liquid adhesive.

That is it for the SG challenges I will get to complete in a weekend. Four out of eight is okay with me. Now to check out the challenges from other sources and see what I can accomplish.

Cruisin'

What a whirlwind NSD was on the Scrapbook Generation blog. I had a blast scrapping and chatting. Okay, more like chatting with a little side of scrapping. The challenges are fantastic and I'm happy to throw my hat into the ring on several. This fit several challenges

1. Star Challenge

5. Two-Page Sketch Challenge

8. Manufacturer Challenge

First let's talk about the sketch, it was a fun one! I still love banners and knew this would perfect for this set of photos. Funny thing is I already pulled everything to work with this set of photos but scrapped those plans when I saw this sketch. There were a few changes, most notable is that my larger photos aren't 6" tall. I wanted the grid paper for a nice calm photo mat but I only had one sheet and it wouldn't stretch across both sides when over 6" tall. To remedy that problem I simply cut the mat at 6", to make it stretch across both sides, and cut 1/4" off of the photos. Easy as can be and worked like a charm.

Now let's move on the manufacturer challenge, it just so happened that was a happy accident. My Mind's Eye, Boy Crazy, was already pulled for the photos because they were too perfect not to use.

That leaves the star challenge. This was the one that I knew I wanted to do, even if the only challenge I could get to. I love stars and they are so perfect all the pages about my son. Let's look at it up close.

The confetti shaker turned out better than I imagined! It's made using my Silhouette SD and Martha Stewart Starry Sky punch. Please excuse any mistakes while I attempt to walk you through the process of making a star confetti shaker.

First, I opened my star shape. It's one of the free files you get when you first download the software. It looks like this.

I resized it to fit my layout, for the photos I'm going to keep it large to show you which pieces I cut. After resizing, duplicate the image.

For the first star take the outer cut line and move it to the side, group the two inner lines you left behind back together. Now take the outer cut line you moved and duplicate it.

For the second star take the middle cut line and move it to the side, you can then delete it, we won't need it for this shaker. Make sure to group the two cut lines left, the inner and outer lines, back together.

This is what you have and I labeled everything with what I cut it out of.

Of course the glitter paper isn't necessary, you can use whatever you like, I'm just telling you what I used. I used my punch to make some star confetti out of several of the patterned papers used on the page, a bonus is I have some very cute negative start cuts I can use on another project. I used liquid glue, around the edge, to attach my vellum pieces together. First only doing three points of the star and filling it with some of my confetti, then I glued the rest of the star together. The piece I cut with glitter paper goes on top and covers up where the adhesive shows through. Technically the piece labeled paper isn't necessary to the project at all, I just wanted a bit more color and had plenty of the yellow chevron piece left over. Ta-da, you just made a star confetti shaker.

This would be so cute on a card as well. I made sure not to overfill it so the confetti would still move around when you shake it. If I was smart I would have taken the same piece I cut with the glitter paper and cut it out of double-sided adhesive, would have made putting the shaker together even easier. I tend to come up with ideas like that right after I finish.

Thanks for visiting and thank you to SG for the great chat and challenges!

Also linked with Shimelle's digital cutter challenge.

Welcome!

Chances are you are coming from Shimelle's blog, thank you for stopping by. If you found me another way, thank you as well.

I was truly honored she wanted me to be a part of her {Inter}National Scrapbooking Day festivities. My topic was a great one and I can't think of a bigger milestone than when your first child comes into the world, it was truly one of the greatest days of my life.

As you can see this blog is a new endeavor for me and I hope you will join me on this crazy crafting ride. Thank you again and happy {Inter}National Scrapbooking Day!

Positively Ecstatic

This is one of my very favorite layouts. Both for content and I think it came together beautifully. ,

It's very special moment when you find out your child is on his/her way. Hard to believe those photos have turned into my now 1 year old son.

This also uses one of my very favorite scrapbooking tools, sketches. This particular sketch can be found in Sketches Scrapbooking One Page Sketches Vol. 2. I adore all the sketch books I have from Scrapbook Generations, and I have most of them. Sketches are sometimes thought of as boring, but I disagree and think the above layout is proof positive.

The Hunger Games

This is my attempt at the layered look. It doesn't have quite as many as some but overall I'm pretty happy with it. While it's titled The Hunger Games, and my niece is reading Mockingjay, it isn't really about that. It's all about while sometimes it's hard to accept that she's growing up it can have its benefits. We can now read the same books and discuss events, etc. It's a whole new world and it can be pretty great.

Hello!

Welcome to my new creative home.