Stash-a-Thon #2

I'm back for two posts in one day!!!  Does that almost make up for the total failure to post anything for a month?  I am still wading my way through the Scrap Your Stash's Stash-a-Thon and here is challenge #2.  This involves adding a doily to your layout.  As you can see, I glimmer-misted a doily into oblivion and then flattened it back out and down it went.  :)   Thanks for looking!

Thanks for visiting!

♥

Stash-a-Thon #1

Hey fellow scrappers!!!  I'm ALIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!!!  It's been a tough month and a half dealing with a medical issue and then a related abdominal surgery 2 weeks ago.  It knocked me for a loop for sure.  I have been created a little here and there prior to my surgery, but it was all for projects I can't share yet, so I decided I'd better get to a project I *can* share.

Queue Scrap our Stash's Stash-a-Thon and their month of fun, prizes and challenges.  I decided to jump in head first and get to creating.  They are posting a new challenge every other day so I'll have lots to share. First up is a layering challenge.  The details instruct you to use at least 3 layers.  I used more than that if you count embellishments and all.  I have my background paper, 3 layers of patterned paper/vellum in each cluster, plus 3+ layers of embellishments.  The paper is all Crate Paper.

If the layout of this looks familiar, it's because it follows an older sketch created by Laura Whitaker and posted over at Stuck!? Sketches.  I can't find the exact link but I at least took note of where I found it when I printed it.  :)  

Thanks for visiting!

♥

Top 5

Hey all, a quick share for today.  Over at SWAT they are celebrating their one year blogoversary!  To celebrate they are asking readers to share their very favorite creations EVER so I decided it was a fine time to do a top 5.  I usually do a list of favs from the past year, but never have I looked back through all 14 years of scrapbooking to come up with a list.  This will be fun!!

#5

The Smoulder

#4

Beautiful Girl

#3

Pool Party

#2

Spread Your Wings and Fly

#1

Mrs. Money Bags

Thanks for visiting!

♥

Lawn Boy

Today's layout comes inspired by the sketch posted last week at Stick It Down.  It was perfect for the Simple Stories Line, Aweso{ME} line I'd been saving to use with this pic.  I'm still trying to weed through my old stash of lines not even broken into before I order any of the new fun stuff.  You can click over to the link above to pin the original sketch, or if you're quick, play along.  :)

Thanks for visiting!

♥

Goodbye Cast, Hello Braces

So many of you know that the last year for me has not been so groovy.  Yes I started the long road of getting to the bottom of a health issue that just wasn't easy myself, and my youngest baby girl had an accident at school that snowballed into a huge medical undertaking, but also my middle kiddo managed to break herself (literally!) two separate times!!  She spent a few months in an arm cast after breaking her wrist in two places playing a game of tag and 9 months to the date of getting out of that cast, she broke her foot running across the playground at recess.  One might say they came by their klutziness honestly?!?!  Just sayin'!  Well the day she finally got out of that hot pink arm cast, she got her braces put on that same afternoon.  She kept joking that she got out of one prison just in time to be locked down in the next.  She's super attached to her popcorn and bubblegum!

Here is the layout I created to document that day.  I don't just scrap the happy stuff.  Everything is worth scrapping in my opinion.  The layout was created for the new challenge posted over at Child's Play Challenges all about GLITTER!!!  As you can probably see, I glittered those plain chipboard letters within an inch of their life!  :)

Thanks for visiting!

♥

Today is a Gift

I absolutely LOOOOVE the new sketch posted over at Sketchabilities.  You all know how I feel about a good sketch, and this one is awesome.  Click on over to play along, and to pin the sketch if you wanna save it for later.

The paper is mostly MME Cut & Paste with a few misc MME scraps added to stretch what supplies I had.  The letters Thickers and the little letter stickers are Studio 112.  The arrow subtitles are MME Collectible line.  The flowers and rhinestones are all Recollections.  I think my very favorite part is the background paper which has this really cool ombre effect.

Thanks for visiting!

♥

Tea Party

I'm back with a new layout and this one is for January's Scrap Friend's challenge.  For those of you that have never seen it, they are four blogging buddies who host a monthly challenge.  Each poses their own separate challenge and you can make one layout, one for each, or if you are feeling super froggy you can make one layout that combines them all.  I decided to be super ambitious and jump right in and try THAT.  Details of the challenge, how I followed them and links to each is just below.

First up is the sketch Brenda shared.  As you can see I went my own way with it, but I did stick pretty close I think.  The biggest change was I went with only one photo and used the other spots for journaling and bigger embellishments.

Rochelle's challenge was one of my favorites.  A tic tac toe board!  I went up and down on the far left.  My title is made from corrugated cardboard that was painted white.  My arrows are along the top strip, far bottom strip and just to the right of the photo...all made from patterned paper.  The mist is harder to see, but if you click to enlarge my layout you should be able to see it.  I used green Glimmer Mist across the entire layout before adding my photo.  While it's hard to see in the pic (except maybe on the white piece just left of the photo), in person it adds an awesome shimmer.

Kelly's addition was a color challenge.  That was a little tougher, but I found one of my Echo Park lines a pretty close match.

Last up was the title challenge posed by Kristi.  She posted a word cloud with lots of New Years and Wintery words and asked that you use at least ONE in your title.  My title is "Tea Party Fun" so the word I picked is "FUN".  

Thanks for visiting!

♥

Fun With Echo Park and CS259

Bare with me on my layouts in the short term.  I'm trying to clear out what's left of lines I'd already used once or twice to make room for all the new CHA stuff and so a lot of my layouts are mish-mash.  Most of this layout is Echo Park Sisters, but I did dig through my scrap bin and pull out a few other EP lines and even some MME that happened to be the same color family.

This layout was inspired by Kristine Davidson's AHHHH-mazing sketch posted over at Creative Scrappers this week.  Click on over to play along.  I was so intimidated by the sketch at first because I really struggle with grid style layouts, but I challenged myself to just jump in and really pour over all the DT inspiration every time I got stuck.  In the end, I'm pretty in love with how this layout of my son and his grandma turned out.  ♥

Thanks for visiting!

♥

SYS: Selfies (and a tutorial)

Hey everyone.  Sorry I'm behind on today's posts...  my littlest fell on the playground at preschool last month and broke her nose and this morning she had a checkup to see how healing is going.  A checkup that I only remembered 30 minutes before it was scheduled...and we live 20minutes away...and we were still in PJs.  Whoops!!!!  So I didn't have time to get all my posts finalized in the race out of door.  On the bright side, however...healing is going BEAUTIFULLY!  ♥

Thanks for the patience.  The layout below is all My Mind's Eye papers and embellies, with the exception of the buttons which were Studio G and the blue letters that are Thickers.  It is my DT project for this week's stamping challenge at Scrap Your Story.  I've done this stamping technique a few times and had comments on how I got it done so below I'll share.  I also followed along with S.W.A.T. Drill #7 by following the top row of the bingo board stamping, doodling and 3 buttons.  My doodling (there are hearts doodled along the top, the right, and the top corner as well as inside of a few hexagons with a white gel pen) goes along with this week's Paper Girls challenge as well.

Now for the promised how-to.  You will notice in several of my recent layouts I had a thick white stamped pattern on the background.  Such as these:

 

Well on my layout this week there is a hexagon stamped with the same technique on some of the patterned paper squares.  How did I do it?  Easy peasy.....  Start with these supplies: 

acrylic paint

foam brush

embossing folder

I like to add glitter in the paint sometimes.  Doesn't show up well in photos, but in person it's a subtle, but awesome touch.  I also like to use paper plates to spread the paint out on if I am adding glitter.  If I'm not, then you can just put a dab directly on the foam brush.  Then you sponge (dab not wipe) the paint onto the embossing folder of your choice.  Just one side.  Keep in mind that whether you choose the embossed or debossed side will decide if you get the outline of the pattern or the solid shape of the pattern.  After dabbing it on, you can turn it over and use it to stamp your pattern on.  If you sponge it on thicker in some places and try to be a little sloppy with your edges it will only add to the distressed look...which I totally dig.  And no worries...if you wash your folder under the faucet in warm dish-soapy water...it comes perfectly clean.  If you leave it for more than half and hour you may need to scrub a little, but if you hop up as soon as you are done..it literally just rinsing right away...even in the little crevices.  :)

If you give it a try, shoot me a link in the comments...I'd love to come see!!!!  :) :) :) 

Thanks for visiting!

♥

CIU: Altered Notepad

Hey all!  This week at Cut It Up we are working with the theme: MAKE IT MINI.  You can make a mini album, mini notecards, alter something itty bitty, tiny gifts, anything that's mini!  :)  For my project I chose to alter a mini notepad.  I covered the stock paper that covers the top edge with double sided tape and then added patterned paper.  Embellished it up and then added a magnet to the backside so it can go up on my fridge.  As always, to play along you have to include a diecut...thus the CUT part of CUT it up.  ;)  See what they did there...lol.  My diecut is the flag on the back of the owl.  They are cut from the Create-a-Critter Cricut cartridge.

I'm also sharing this notepad with the challenge posed by Lynette over at Sketch N Scrap.  This month they are celebrating their birthday with a whole month of daily challenges.  Hers was posted on the 9th and instructed us to alter something.  :)  This started as a notepad...and well it's still a notepad, but it's waaaaay prettier!  :)

Thanks for visiting!

♥

Echo Park Layout of Love

This National Scrapbook Day (well really weekend!!) Echo Park is hosting four awesome challenges.  I am smack dab in the middle of working on numero quatro as we speak, but thought I'd share my take on challenge #2 while I was waiting for something to dry on that one.

This challenge was to scrap about someone you love.  Well boy, oh boy do I love my boy!  He got new glasses this winter and rather than get bummed like most kids do, he decided to embrace his inner geek chic!  LOL.  He is the king of silly faces which is why the journaling starts with "I ♥ your silly sweetness!"  It does pull out for more reasons why I love him.

All of the paper and embellishments are from the Echo Park "All About A Boy" line.  The letters are from my stash, but everything else is Echo Park yumminess!  TFL

Thanks for visiting!

♥

Sisters

Hey guys.....long time no 'see'.  Well for you it's only been 2 weeks since I utilized the autopost feature, but it feels like I haven't been here in a month.  I've had a sweet little girl who got pretty badly hurt at school on the playground (bad concussion and broken nose) which is no fun anytime, especially when you are only in preschool and your mom has been put in charge of not allowing you to so much as bump your head for 3 weeks.  Yeah..no pressure right?!  LOL.  So, I'm sure you can see why that's not conducive to Mommy getting any happy scrappy time.  But that's okay, because I got LOTS of baby girl snuggly time.  ♥

I'm back this week with a layout for Scrap Your Story's 10th challenge...all about FAVORITES!

Scrap your favorite moment, your favorite picture, your favorite holiday, your favorite item(s), in fact this week's challenge would be PERFECT for a list style layout.

Here is my layout with a favorite photo.  It was taken on a super cold snowy day when swimming just wasn't going to happen.  Queue super cute suits, Mommy's jacuzzi tub and tons of bubbles.  This is an 8x8 page for my 'Instagram favorites book' I'm working on.

I had a terrible time getting a decent photo.  I mean...waiting for sunlight is easier said than done when I'm battling 2" of snow on the ground...in MAY!?!?!  UGH!  I know it's no sunny beachside community, but I live in Kansas for goodness sakes.  Normally by May we are scorching.  :(  

I'm also sharing this layout with Southern Girls Challenges.  This week they asked for projects with quotes on them.  My super long title is one of my very favorite quotes that I've had written on my inspiration board for months and finally got to use it!  :)  

Thanks for visiting!

♥

Frosted Designs Guest Designer Spot

I was trying to debate making my blogger title post my normal layout title, or a short description of the theme of the post, but I have been holding inside the news for weeks and just couldn't take it anymore and this was as close to shouting it from the rooftops as blogdom allows!!!  HAHA!  I was chosen as a guest designer for the ultra fabulous Frosted Designs challenge blog.  Oh yes, I am YIPPEEing all up in this studio!

The challenge this week is Scallops so I have light blue scallops included along the left side and also in the border along the bottom.  The layout is of my daughter helping us navigate the zoo.  The journaling reads:

"Our fearless tour guide.  She never led us astray even though she never did learn to hold the map upright!"

Love that kid!!!  The paper and embellishments are all DCWV except the letters which are The Paper Studio chipboard letters and the twine which is actually burlap I tore to shreds to make strings.

Click on over to play along!

Thanks for visiting!

♥