Winter Blast 2015 Layout

After taking a break to create a card for my mother-in-law, I'm back at work finishing up my  layouts for the Scrapbook.com 5 for 5 challenge. I used both pages of the sketch, but this time I cut two smaller pieces of patterned paper for each side of the layout and tilted them to give a different look. 

Recipe:
February Word Puzzle, Pen Pal Alphabet & Cassidy Alphabet stamp sets
Jingle All the Way papers (Simple Stories)
Kraft, Sage & Colonial White cardstock
Sage, Ruby & Black ink
Black marker
Jingle All the Way Puffy stickers, journal bits & decorative brads (Simple Stories)
DE Chipboard - Framed Fun & Banners
Ruby baker's twine
Ruby washi tape
Colonial White Bigger Brads
Gold Stickles (Ranger)
3-D foam tape
Pattern: EMS Sketch 100

Challenges: Lasting Memories #610 Three Things - floral patterned paper, hearts & washi tape; Crafting Happiness #127 Little Things (so many in this layout - cocoa, games, Christmas presents, bounce house, and above all, seeing my kids having fun!)

Sherlocked Mug Layout

I've been MIA for the last two months here on my blog, just because life was too overwhelming for me to feel creative. Instead, I read a lot and completed a 3000 piece jigsaw puzzle! This morning, I actually woke up feeling creative, so I searched for a sketch and checked out some challenges so I could scrapbook a photo that's been sitting on my desk since October. For anyone who is a fan of the BBC show Sherlock, you will need no explanation of this layout, and here's a link to the clip from A Scandal In Belgravia to enjoy.

Recipe:
February Word Puzzle stamp set
Central Park, Animal Cookies, Fall 2019 Mix-In & March/April 2021 Mix-In papers
Tulip & Black cardstock
Glacier, Peacock, Tulip, Slate & Black ink
White gel pen (Sakura)
PML Tabbed Journaling Card
Love This wood title
Wood Hearts
Red Pearls
Pattern: Sketch-n-Scrap #238

Challenges: Heart 2 Heart Embellishments challenge (used wooden hearts & title and red pearls)

For Always You + Me Card

My 22nd wedding anniversary is this weekend, and my husband is going to be out of town. I wanted him to have something special on the day of our anniversary, so I made a card this afternoon and slipped it into his suitcase! I was treading the fine line between showing him how much I love him and not wanting him to be embarrassed if he opens the envelope while a bunch of guys are standing around, so hopefully this card strikes that perfect balance.

Recipe:
February Work Puzzle & The Gift of Love stamp sets
For Always Level 2 papers
Cranberry & White Daisy cardstock
Cranberry, Black & Slate ink
White Daisy organdy ribbon
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: all die-cuts
Challenges: Mojo Monday Sketch 327, 4 Crafty Chicks bows challenge

LOAD #27 - Winter Fun

Technically speaking, the title of this layout should be "Winter Fun?" since it is questionable how much fun my boys had sledding! But since I didn't have a chipboard question mark, I left it as is. Don't know if you can see it in the scan, but the snowflake tied to the title is covered with liquid glass and sprinkled with glitter. I really need to order some blue sparkles, so I can add them to this layout. I think they would be the perfect finishing touch.



Recipe:
Jingle Borders & February Word Puzzle stamp sets
Animal Cookies Creative Basics & Cherry-O Level 2 papers
Sky, Moonstruck & White Daisy cardstock
Moonstruck, Sky & Tulip ink
Moonstruck marker
DE Monograms "F", "U", "N"
Moonstruck embroidery floss
Prisma Glitter
Liquid Glass
Pattern: Add an Element from Cherish

Our Little Angels Layout

Anyone else busy watching the Winter Olympics? I confess, I've been sucked into it, but I still found time to scrapbook this little layout. Even after the most irritating days with my kids, my heart always melts when I see the little guys asleep in bed! I used a circle to represent a halo, and the pattern is a revised version of Double Take (the left page only) from Imagine.



Recipe:
February Word Puzzle & Extreme Caps stamp sets
Free Spirit Level 2 papers
Indian Corn Blue & Desert Sand cardstock
Indian Corn Blue, Desert Sand & Cocoa ink
Indian Corn Blue & Cocoa markers
Twill
Clear buttons

Mom's Mini Calendar Part 1

I have been toying with the idea of making a calendar for my mom for Christmas, but every time I sat down to work on it, my inspiration flew out the window. Then I was surfing the CTMH consultant bulletin board on Friday and found a cute mini calendar by consultant Anne Chek that really looked do-able. Using her pages as a springboard, the first six pages came together really quickly for me. Thanks for the inspiration, Anne! I used the Animal Cookies Level 2 paper pack and the Animal Cookies Creative Basics on each page. I love the versatility of this pack, with colors that are perfect for a variety of holidays and themes. I'm still working on the other six months, but here's what I've completed so far.













Recipe:
January Word Puzzle, February Word Puzzle, March Word Puzzle, April Word Puzzle, May Word Puzzle, June Word Puzzle, Moments in Time, All Decked Out, Extreme Caps & Say It In Style stamp sets
White Daisy, Moonstruck, Black, Dutch Blue & Sunflower cardstock
Moonstruck, Dutch Blue, Tulip, Clover Meadow, Sunflower, Desert Sand & Black ink
Autumn Terracotta marker
Liquid Glass
Brads

10 Things I Love About You

I created this layout a few months ago, but I thought I would post it since it honors my favorite dad, my dear hubby Greg! (Sorry, Daddy, I love you, but I have to love Greg more!) I chose to use the Cherish pattern "Beauty in Repetition" because it features 10 photos to go along with my 10 things theme. Most of these photos were ones I had printed up for other layouts and ended up not using, but they showed different facets of Greg: father, husband, nature lover, coffee drinker, handyman, and all-around fun guy. By combining them, I was able to show sides of Greg that many people don't see. This is a really fun technique. I challenge you to try it the next time you are celebrating a special event with a loved one (birthday, Mother's or Father's Day, etc.). I guarantee they will get a kick out of seeing 10 reasons you think they are special! It was a fun challenge as well to put together the word cluster that I used for my title. I mixed 5 different stamp sets (but you can use as many as you like) to get this effect, and I loved how it turned out. For more ideas on how to create a word cluster, check out this episode of CTMH TV.



Recipe:
Alphabets stamp sets = Classmate, Friendship Large & Small, Homestead
Simple Stitches & February Word Puzzle stamp sets
Magic Moments paper pack
Sweet Leaf, Indian Corn Blue & Colonial White cardstock
Indian Corn Blue, Barn Red, Hollyhock, Honey & Cocoa ink
Winter & Autumn craft buttons
Indian Corn Blue marker

Love is in the air

It's my birthday today, and I know I should post something deep and meaningful, like a look back at the past and the influences that shaped me to be what I am today, but I don't have any layouts like that, so here's what you get! This layout is from Elliot's preschool Valentine's party, and making it took me back to the frantic week before Valentine's Day, when I was scrambling to handmake 50 cards for his classmates, plus another 14 for Adrian's class. What was I thinking? At any rate, they came out super cute, so I made an extra to attach to this layout. I was trying to use up some extra Connections Club rewards (clear shapes and rub-ons) from previous CTMH idea books, so I used Liquid Glass to attach Tulip cardstock to the back of three clear hearts, and then I added white rub-ons. I also used metal photo corners from the Spring Blossom Mini-Medley Accent Collection. Everything else was stamped or hand-written. Enjoy, and take a moment today to tell a loved one how special he or she is to you!





Recipe:
February Word Puzzle, Friendship Alphabet small, Tiny Typewriter Alphabet & Welcome Baby stamp sets
Crystal Blue, Tulip, Bamboo & White Daisy cardstock
Crystal BLue, Tulip & Brown Bag ink
Tulip, Chocolate, Black & Sunkiss Yellow markers
Tulip Photo Corners from the Spring Blossom Mini-Medley Accent Collection
Connections Club clear shapes & white rub-ons
Liquid Glass