A Sketchy Situation...

Many of you who have followed me for a while know that I heavily rely on sketches for inspiration (and you are probably sick of me saying that, too!). :) Let me jump off the path I was going on with this post for a moment to give you some background on myself first...

The reason I named my blog "One Scrappy Novice" was because, in all honesty, I do not have a creative eye. I am really good at faking it and the only way that is possible is by using something like a sketch or another layout/card to create from. I can only think of a dozen or so layouts/cards/projects that I've created on my own, with no help needed. I like to joke that I couldn't craft my way out of a paper bag. Others might get out by turning it into something beautiful, like a landscape picture or fun hat or outfit. To me, all I see is that brown bag. Now granted, I'm learning to appreciate my own work more and I do feel that I am much better at my hobby now than I was even a year ago. Some people are born with the ability to be artistic (my oldest daughter is proving that at 5 years old). Others learn to be artistic. That's definitely me.

So going back to the point of this post...sketches give me a basic jumping off point and get the creative juices flowing. Without them, I am usually totally lost. There are cases where I am totally lost while using them, too. The layout I created for this post is a perfect example.

But first, here is the sketch (found on Pinterest):

And here is the layout I created with it:

Once I saw the sketch, I wanted to use my My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose 6x6 paper pad. I knew all of the soft pinks, greens and blues would go together perfectly. And I knew that a picture I had of my friend's daughter would work with those colors as well. I got it all laid out and only adhered the banner down. The rest I was completely clueless on. I had other flowers that I wanted to use and thought the spacing was off. So I went to a bunch of my crafty friends and asked them for their eyes. I knew they would be able to see this layout better than I could. Their advice totally helped me and I am thrilled with the outcome. I hope my friend likes it as much as I do!

Don't be afraid to admit it if you are a self-professed "novice" like myself. As long as your projects turn out looking good, take all the credit you deserve! (Easier said than done, I know!)

Before I sign off, I want to remind you all of the giveaway I currently have going on! Be sure to check out {this} blog post to see how you can win one Authentique Paper Genuine collection!

Until next time...

My Uncommon Miracle

Hello, all! Happy Friday! Hope it's going to be as gorgeous where you are as it's supposed to be here!

Today is my last featured post over on the Authentique blog. Super sad, I know, but I am coming away from this experience with tons of...well...experience! I feel like I've grown so much as a crafter since being a part of Authentique's first design team (as well as my own!!). I've challenged myself to push outside of my crafty comfort zone and I genuinely feel that the work I have created while on this design team have been some of my best.

Alright, sappy stuff aside. Let's get down to business! I have a layout to share with you and then I'll get on with the good stuff...a giveaway!!

This is the layout that I created for my post today:

So pretty, if I do say so myself. :) I love how this turned out! Be sure to check out my post for more details!

If you've been following me for a while, you know that I tend to always use a sketch or some sort of inspiration to create from. Well, this layout is no different. I used a sketch from a sketch book I found at my local craft store. I can't show you the sketch because I'd be violating the copyright laws, but just know that it looks like my layout. :)

Now, on to the good stuff! To celebrate (or mourn, you're call) the end of the Authentique design team term, I am giving away one Genuine collection.

Pretty, isn't it? :)

Here is how you win: Become a follower of my blog (and Authentique's blog if you aren't already), then leave me a comment! Simple as that! I'll leave this giveaway open until Saturday, March 31st at midnight CST and I will draw and post the winner on April 1st! Giveaway is for US and Canadian residents only.

Thank you so much for following me on my Authentique DT journey and be sure to stay tuned because there's always something to scrap! :)

I'm feeling kind of krafty today...

I thought I'd post a couple of cards that I made recently that show my love for using kraft paper. I discovered kraft paper about 8 months ago and it's been making appearances in my projects ever since.

This first card is one that I created for my hubby for Valentine's Day. I can, in NO way, take credit for this concept as I card lifted a pin I saw on Pinterest (card by Heidi Van Laar). But I CAN take credit for how cute and simple this card turned out:

I made this card in about 3 minutes. Literally. Doesn't get better than that. Plus, I used some Paper Smooches stamps. I guess it did get better. :)

The second card I made is one that I made for my bestie, who's birthday is on St. Patrick's Day. She just so happened to have given birth to her first child 6 days prior to her bday, so I had that on my brain and completely forgot to make her a card. This is what I came up with:

I actually got my inspiration for this card from Jill Cornell's blog post this morning. I always make hokey shamrock-filled cards for my friends bday, so I thought I'd stick with the green theme, ditch the shamrocks and do something different.

Both of these cards were created with MME goodies and burlap twine. A couple of my other faves. :)

That's all for now! Until next time...

I've done a color challenge!

Why did that statement require an exclamation point? Because color challenges REALLY stump me. But this one was different...

I recently stumbled upon a challenge site called The Play Date Cafe. They were having a color challenge that completely spoke to me. Let's see if you can figure out why...

Ok, this color challenge just SCREAMS for Authentique's Blissful collection, right? And I'm not just saying that because I'm on the design team. These colors ARE Blissful. No doubt about it.

I was immediately inspired by a layout I made with the Blissful collection.

I have to admit...yellow is not one of my favorite colors. GASP!! But I also have to admit that this layout is one of my favorites that I've ever made. And it wasn't even for me! The picture of my friend's little girl just begged to be scrapped with Blissful and I was thrilled with the way it turned out.

Why am I telling you all this? Because this is the first time a layout has inspired me to create a card. Granted, my card turned out different than this, but the basic idea is still there...

This has to be one of the biggest cards I've ever made and probably the first square card I've made as well. I'm pleased with the way my layout translated into card form. Only thing that would have made it better? Actual stitching instead of faux stitching. My pink thread is disastrously low and I wouldn't have had enough to make it around the shape. :(

Thank you for stopping by today! I have more up my sleeves, so check back soon!

Scrapbooksteals and Authentique...together again.

Hello friends! I know I have mentioned this MANY times before, but for my new readers who might be in the dark...I. Love. Scrapbooksteals.com. I stumbled upon their site just over two years ago and I've been a loyal stealer ever since (much to my husband's dismay). :) They are my go-to place for scrapbooking supplies and even more so for inspiration.

Today Scrapbooksteals.com is featuring Authentique's Journey collection as their steal! AND not only that, today the Authentique Design Team is taking part in the MCM (Monday Card Madness)!

Here is today's sketch:

And here is my interpretation:

This collection is completely versatile. It can be used on anything from baby boy pages/cards to snow pages/cards...and everything in between!

I hope you'll all go over to Scrapbooksteals.com's blog today and check out all of the other Design Team members' interpretations of the sketch!

Until next time...

It's Authentique Sketch Challenge time again!

I hope everyone's having a wonderful weekend! March's Sketch Challenge was posted on Authentique's blog this morning. I absolutely LOVE the sketches for the card and layout. I had to take on the layout version.

Here is the sketch:

And here is the layout I created with it:

The Celebrate collection has to be one of my all-time favorite collections. It ranks up there with Authentique's Gathering collection, for sure! (And I'm not just saying that because I'm on the Design Team.) :) I love the aquas, blacks and reds together. We all know I'm a sucker for aqua...

I thought I'd add a bit of whimsey to my layout buy adding a pinwheel. I'll admit, this is the first time I've ever made one, but I love how it came out! I added a sparkly brad to the center and inked the edges in coordinating ink. Love it!

I used a lot of techniques on this layout...distressing paper, punches, dimensional adhesive, just to name a few. I love how each one of them added something to this layout.

I hope you all will head over to Authentique's blog today to check out the other creations the rest of the Design Team made!

Until next time...

Authentique Sketch Challenge

Hello everyone! Today over on the Authentique blog, October's sketch challenge has been posted! Since I created a layout for September's challenge, I decided to tackle the card sketch this month.

Here is the sketch:


And here is the card I created:


When I saw this month's card sketch, I knew it would work perfectly for a card I needed to make for one of our nephew's upcoming 3rd birthday. I used papers from the Endless line, a part of Authentique's new Free Bird Series. This line is filled with gorgeous oranges, teals, dark blues and browns. PERFECT for a card for a little boy!


I thought it would be cute to highlight our nephew's upcoming age on the numbered paper with a couple shapes I cut out with my Silhouette (on "b" sides of Endless papers). I also accented the area with a cute little star, cut out of another paper from the Endless line.


I thought I'd grunge up the banner, to make it a little more like our rough and tumble nephew. I think it turned out pretty cute. :)

Be sure to check out the Authentique blog and play along with this month's challenge! You have until Wednesday, October 12th to link your projects to the blog post. {Rules are on the blog post.}

Have fun!!

Supplies:

Authentique:
Patterned Paper: Free Bird Series- Endless

Other:
Ribbon - My Mind's Eye: Fine and Dandy
Tools - Paper distresser: Tim Holtz for Tonic Studios

Mid Week Mojo Time!

As you may have seen from my recent post, Scrapboooksteals.com has recently completed a YEAR of sketch challenges!! They have started over and have changed it up a bit. Now, instead of being 52 sketches, there will be 10 sketch increments, with a new jewel club for each increment. Last Tuesday's sketch started the Topaz club.

Here is the sketch for Topaz #1:



And here is the layout I created:



I have to say, it was different creating a layout about myself as I'm so used to scrapping my girls. In fact, this is only the second time I've scrapped myself. (The first being MWM #1.) I love the way it turned out and I am committing myself to use this sketch at least two more times to make a layout for each of my girls. :)

That's it for now...until next time!

A past project...

I was just looking through some of my past posts and I realized I forgot to post an altered piece that I created way back in May! I turned a double frame into a cute quote piece for my daughter's teacher on the last day of school. It was the first time I'd ever altered something and I was THRILLED with the way it turned out!

Here's the finished product:



I think it turned out really cute and Ms. Joy cried when my daughter gave it to her. :) I think I'm going to stock up on frames like this to use as end-of-the-year gifts for future teachers. Or just to make something cute for myself. :)

Have some Authentique!

Since I've created a couple projects using papers from Authentique, a brand-spanking new paper company, I thought I would post my creations. I used papers from their Uncommon line for both projects and I'm in LOVE with the way they turned out!

Here is the card I created to give my hubby for our 9th anniversary tomorrow:



Here is the layout I created:



And here is a close-up of the journaling on the hidden tag:



I can't wait to get my hands on more of Authentique's collections and create more beautiful projects with them!

Until next time...

Happy Birthday, Baby!

My best friend's daughter turns one soon so I made her a birthday card. I recently purchased a Sizzix embossing machine (so I'll be embossing EVERYTHING!) and decided to give it a whirl for this card. I also used some shapes from my Silhouette. Here's the final product:



Yes, this card is kind of fancy for a one-year old. But if you knew this one-year old, you'd understand. :) She's pretty stylin' for her age.

I love how this turned out! I used embroidery floss to jazz up the background paper (as if the paisley-printed, embossed background paper needed anymore jazzing up). The "Happy Birthday" banner is on 3D foam tape to make it stand out a bit from the rest of the busy card. I also used what little of the MME Penny Lane papers that I have left. It's cute, if I do say so myself. :)

A baby and a Princess walk into a club...

Just kidding. :) I've been busy and bored the past couple of weeks. That sounds like an oxymoron, but it's true. I've been busy around the house and I've been bored because I haven't been able to create anything. Let's all pause and do a resounding *wah waaaah* a la Debbie Downer. :)

Our newest nephew arrived March 16th, only 6 short days late. :) He is beautiful and VERY healthy. (He weighed in at 9 lbs, 8 oz and was 21 inches long!) I managed to cut and assemble this card in probably 10 minutes flat. The fuzzy picture proves it as I made the card and took a picture pretty much as we were getting ready to head out the door to meet him! It turned out really cute!



When I saw the Imaginisce Enchanted kit being offered on Scrapbooksteals.com, I knew I had the PERFECT picture to go with it. Is it sad that I purchased a WHOLE kit just to scrap ONE picture?! Not in my eyes. Plus, the amount of stuff that came with the kit (papers, stamps, stickers, borders, die cuts, ribbon...Oh My!), was totally worth it!!

Here is they layout I created with this kit:



I cut the castle and clouds out of a sheet of paper that came with the kit and I created the little mini-Maddie princess with a stamp. I love that I was able to create and color the stamp to match her unique strawberry blonde hair and blue and black princess outfit. (PS: Call me crazy, but I LOVE the outfit she wore. A Cinderella dress with a white shirt, black leggings and black Converse shoes. She was a "hip" version of a princess.) :) I used regular colored pencils to color in the stamp. I'm in no way ready to make the Copic investment...yet! The ribbon at the top of the layout is attached to a picture of the card that the birthday princess used as her thank you card...it had a picture of all of the little girls who went to the party (all in princess dresses) and Sleeping Beauty, who showed up to be the entertainment at the party! Definitely a memory my daughter will never forget!

I'm itching to create a layout with last week's MWM sketch, so hopefully I'll be back soon! Until then...

Babies, Babies Everywhere!

March seems to be the month of babies in my world. I have a friend who had a baby on the 10th, another who had a baby yesterday, my sister-in-law was DUE on the 10th and still patiently baking her little boy until he's ready to make an appearance and ANOTHER friend who's due this weekend. PHEW! I've made a couple congrats cards for the babies who have already been welcomed to the world and I thought I'd share them with you.

The first was made for a friend who had a little boy.



It's hard to see from the picture, but I used pop-out adhesive behind the matted picture to make it stand out. I colored in the stamp with colored pencils as they were all I had on hand and I'm in NO way ready to take on the Copic commitment! :) I'm very please with the way this card turned out.

This next card was made for our friend who had a baby girl yesterday.



I used my Silhouette to create this card. In their online store, I found a cute bib card kit. It comes with EVERY shape you see on this card. I can't seem to pass up kits because you get SO much for your money (even if it's just 99 cents). I wish I had used better background paper when I made this, but you can still see some of colors that I pulled out to create the bib and flowers. I think it turned out pretty cute!

I'm sure I'll have more to post soon as there are still two more babies coming! Until then...

Challenging Challenges!

Scrapbooksteals had an online chat this past Friday night and as usual, challenges were issued a few days before for us to get a head start on. Here's what they were:

Challenge #1 was actually MWM #30 (I'll post that in a minute).

Challenge #2 was to create a layout sharing a secret about yourself.

Challenge #3 was to create a layout sharing something you're lucky to have (in other words, something you're thankful for).

Challenge #4 was a doozy! It was to create a layout that incorporated EACH of the following items:

- 10 metal embellishments
- 9 inches of ribbon
- 8 letters
- 7 non-metal embellishments
- 6 sentences in the journaling
- 5 patterned paper pieces
- 4 solid paper pieces
- 3 photos
- 2 rub on images
- 1 stamped image

Holy cow, right?! When I first saw this challenge, I thought it was going to create one BUSY page, but I'm pretty psyched about how mine turned out. I'll show you what I created, starting with Challenge #1.

Here is the sketch:



And here's my layout:



Cute, right?! Alright, maybe I'm a little biased, but I think this layout turned out pretty cute. :) I decided to make a layout describing my youngest red head. :) There aren't enough words to describe this sweet ball of maddening curiosity, but I figured I'd take a few and put them on the layout and then write a letter to her saying how much I love her for being all of those things. I wouldn't change a single thing about how this layout turned out...and I hope my little Brutus loves it when she gets older. :)

I decided to combine Challenge #2 and #4. (BTW, I didn't complete #3...too much on my plate this past weekend!) I'll show you the layout first and then I'll give you all the details afterwards...

Here's my creation:



I've been very lucky so far in my lifetime that I've been able to go to Disneyland and Disney World on numerous occasions. From the first trip to Disney World back in 1986, my love for Goofy was born. Each time I've been back, I've made sure to take a picture with him. Since I could only use three pictures for Challenge #4, I decided to pick my three favorite pictures. The first was from the first time I met Goofy. (Wasn't I adorable?!) The second picture was from when my friend and I went to Disneyland on our Spring Break, my senior year of high school. The third picture was from when my parents, brother, husband and I went to Disneyland right before Christmas in 2002.

Here's the break down of what I used for this challenge:

- 9 colored, small brads, 1 decorated brad holding the flower together
- 9 inches of ribbon in the bow
- 8 letters (i am goofy - hehe)
- 7 2 flowers together as one, 1 button, 1 row of stitching, 1 sticker (the Goofy sticker in the title), the bracket chip and the star chip
- 6 sentences in the journaling
- 5 patterned paper pieces
- 4 solid paper pieces (one behind journaling, one journaling is printed on, and the #4 is made of two different colors)
- 3 photos
- 2 rub on images (zig zag at the bottom is actually two separate rows that I pieced together)
- 1 stamped image (the circles stamped onto the star embellishment)

And. I'm. Spent! :) Typing that all out was almost as exhausting as creating the layout itself, but for all my hard work, I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out. I'm not big on using a bunch of different patterned papers on one layout, but I chose these papers from my Fancy Pants "Father and Son" kit because the colors went well with my Goofy pictures. He wears blues, orange and green, and those are the exact colors on the papers.

I should also point out that I created this layout without the help of scraplifting!! This is HUGE for me as I'm not good at creating layouts unless I have something to go by. For not having help, I think I did alright! :)

Layouts, Layouts, Layouts!

As I mentioned last night, even though I haven't updated my crafty blog in a while, that doesn't mean I haven't been creating! I've made some cute layouts that I'm really proud of. Three of the five layouts were Midweek Mojo's from scrapbooksteals.com! After being guest sketcher in October, I took a creative hiatus from MWMs and finally decided to get back in the game! :) I'll start with my non-MWMs first...



I usually rely on sketches or other layouts for inspiration (see the following four layouts!), but this one was done in my own head. (That's pretty big for me.) And for the most part, the layout matched what was in my head. Anyway, if only you could have seen what this layout looked like when I completed it...the first time. I had hand-written the journaling to the right of the top picture but I HATED the way my handwriting turned out. Thank goodness for the big flower I cut out of some paper and the polka-dotted paper! I covered up my original journaling and you wouldn't even have a clue unless you look *really* closely.

For this second layout, I used a sketch I found. Here is the sketch:



And here is my interpretation:



How. Cute. Is. That?! Not that I'm biased or anything, but I absolutely LOVE the way this layout turned out. This definitely makes it into my personal top 5. It helps that I LOVE this paper. It's Basic Grey's Bittersweet line. I got it for free from my local scrapbooking store and I have to say, it's the best money I never spent! :) I love how the colors of the flowers, papers and floss coordinate so nicely. The stitching was done with one of my other Christmas presents, the Sew Easy by WRMK. I've done stitching on my layouts before, but the Sew Easy takes some of the leg work out of it. It's taking me a while to get the hang of using it (getting it to roll out straight lines, etc.). I love it when layouts come together this effortlessly.

This next layout is a scrapbooksteals.com MWM. This is MWM #24, I believe. Here's the sketch:



And here is my take on it:



This is another one of my favorite layouts. It's the first time I made a layout solely using one collection. The only things on this layout that *aren't* from the Fancy Pants My Family line are the thickers and the two different cardstock colors (red and white). Good for me, right? :) I love how well everything coordinates on this layout. It turned out super cute, if I do say so myself. :)

This next layout is scrapbooksteals.com's MWM #26. Here's the sketch:



And here's my take on it:



Here is a close-up of some of the detail:



Now some layouts look better when photographed in the natural light and some look alright when the flash is used. This one definitely looks better in the natural light, but I took the picture on a cloudy day and the flash had to be used. The browns and reds coordinate much better in the natural light. I'm proud of this layout and it showcases one of my best friends. I still miss him dearly.

This final layout is scrapbooksteals.com's MWM #27. Here's the sketch:



And here's the layout I created:



Here's a close-up of some of the detail:



It's not often that I see a sketch posted on Wednesday morning and instantly get the inspiration to complete the layout THAT DAY. This sketch and last week's sketches were exactly like that. When this sketch posted yesterday morning, I instantly knew what picture I wanted to use, what papers I wanted to scrap with and what flourishes I wanted to add. It all came together so quickly and I'm so pleased with the result.

That's all I have to share for now! I have 14 MWMs to catch up on, so I'm sure I'll be back with more to post shortly! :) Until then...