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...

Have a card or two...

So we all know (or maybe my new readers don't) that I do a bulk of my work going off sketches or other layouts/cards for inspiration. I still claim to not have a creative brain cell in my head, I'm just really good at faking it. :)

That brings us to today. I recently picked up Paper Crafts' Card Ideas for Paper Crafters magazine and I. Was. In. Heaven! It is filled with sketches and examples of cards from cover to cover. I found a sketch I really liked (hence the dog-ear in the picture) and decided to make a couple cards with it.

Here is the sketch:


And here is the first card I made:


I thought this card turned out really cute. My oldest daughter was invited to one of her classmates' birthday party and so I made it for her soon-to-be 5 year old friend. I used Authentique's Free Bird Series - Endless papers because they work really well for boy cards. (See this post for another example.)

Here is the other card I made:


I made this card for a friend who will be having surgery soon. I used some yummy My Mind's Eye papers that coordinated perfectly. I hope this card brightens my dear friend's day as she begins her rehabilitation journey.

That's all for now! Stay tuned for more crafty goodness!

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...

Guess who's today's Midweek Mojo guest sketcher?!

ME!! After a frazzled Kristy from Scrapbooksteals posted that day's mojo, I sent her a message saying I would love to help her out sometime if she needed me. To my surprise, she said yes on the spot! I was so excited to be able to create the sketch for today's mojo! Lucky #13, no less! The Christmas kit from KI Memories had a lot of fun stuff to work with!

Here is MY (!!) sketch:



And here is the layout I created based on MY sketch:



I must say, creating a sketch and then a layout from that sketch was super hard for me! I need a visual aid (a sketch, a layout, etc) to be able to create my own pages, so starting from scratch was a challenge. Once I figured out what I wanted my sketch to look like, everything else fell into place!

Once I completed my layout, I decided I wasn't done working with the kit. I wanted to make a card with some of the other elements from the kit...the "placemat-like" sheet mostly. I used it for the background of a card, then used my i-top and another sheet from the kit to create berrys for the holly. Still being a novice with the i-top, I think the berries could have turned out better, but I think it was a valiant attempt. :)



I'm so excited to see how other ladies interpret my sketch this week!

Midweek Mojo and a Mouse...

Yesterday (Sunday) I woke up with THE WORST pain in my neck/back. It feels like a pinched nerve under my left shoulderblade, but the pain stretches across my upper back and up my neck. So basically, I feel awesome. The pain hasn't gone down much today, either. I can barely look up and can't look down, left or right. Why am I telling you this? Because miraculously I was able to complete a layout earlier this afternoon! Since I can't look down, I got down on my knees. Luckily, this week's sketch from Scrapbooksteals was easy and I had the layout done in my head, so I was able to knock it out in less than an hour!

This week's sketch was created by Lisa Mack. Here's the sketch:



And here is my interpretation of it:



Didn't it turn out cute? I used paper from Basic Grey's Bittersweet collection, which I L.O.V.E! I had fun making a layout for the pictures I chose. My friend got married in May and my oldest was infatuated with her the whole night! Maddie thought she looked like a fairy princess and thought everything she did was magical. Luckily, I have an awesome friend and she humored Maddie the entire night.

You can't really see them, but I put random pink "shiney stones" (as Maddie would call them) on the bottom right of the layout (among the brads). It turned out pretty cute!

Last week I completed a layout from when my husband and I took Maddie to see Disney on Ice. Maddie LOVES Tinkerbell, whom this show featured, so we knew she'd love it. As a bonus, she got to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Ariel (the little mermaid), the Lion King, and cars from Cars, too! We had a great time and Maddie was passed out in the car before we even got out of the parking garage! Here's the layout:



This layout is a little plain, but I love the glittery title I found at my local scrapbooking store. I think the layout turned out cute...and Maddie think's it's pretty awesome as well. :)

The big Midweek Mojo reveal!

Calm down, calm down. I know you're excited to see what I came up for this week's Midweek Mojo (from the ladies - namely Kristy - at scrapbooksteals.com). I had fun with this one! First of all, I turned Pandora on and started listening to my "Salt n Pepa" channel. GOOD TIMES! The song I'm listening to as I type this is "Baby got back" by Sir Mixalot. Now if that doesn't take me back to high school, I don't know what will.

ANYWAY, I had some fun papers lying around, so I was excited to use them on this week's challenge. Here is the sketch Kristy created this week...



And here is the layout I came up with...



Isn't it FUN?! The colors of the papers and pictures don't really go together, but I don't even care. I created a layout that I L.O.V.E. and I think it turned out great! I love the My Mind's Eye papers and how all of the cardstock matched it so well. The brads and buttons even coordinated well! I LOVE it when a layout comes together this easily! I wish the picture had turned out a little clearer, but it is breezy outside and every time I tried to take a good shot, the breeze would blow the layout over. In any event, I hope you like the layout as much as I liked making it!

Midweek Mojo Time!

Anyone who knows me in the crafty world, knows that I am a fan of Scrapbooksteals. Kristy issues a sketch challenge on the blog every Wednesday and this week's Midweek Mojo sketch was a doozy! It was a 2-pager with FIVE pictures AND journaling! Phew! Overall, I'm glad with the way it turned out. These challenges are great because they're allowing me to use some of the 200+ pictures I have sitting on my scrapbooking table just BEGGING to be cropped! The thing I loved most about this challenge is that I could use so many pictures and tell so many stories on one layout. Moving right along...

Here is this week's sketch:



And here is my interpretation:



I used pictures of my oldest daughter doing silly things and I think it turned out great! The thickers I used for the title were white, but I used my chalks to make them fit in more with the colors of the layout.

I'm SO glad Scrapbooksteals is doing these challenges! My pages are all VERY different now and I don't have to think too hard about what I want the layouts to look like...they're all drawn out for me!

My Week in Scrappiness...

We're two days into the week and I'm off to a roaring start! I've made a card and a layout in the past two days and have been challenged doing both!

Our nephew, Jake, turned 2 a couple weeks ago and his bday party was last night. As I mentioned in my last post, I haven't had to make too many "male" birthday cards, so I took it upon myself to challenge, well, myself, to make a kid's card. Not just a kid's card...a BOY'S card! Jake and his brother L.O.V.E. Thomas the train, so I was lucky to find some Thomas paper at Joann's.

This is what I came up with:



Here is a close-up of the sticker I made:



It turned out really cute and I was proud to give it to Jake. It made the rounds through the family that was gathered at the party and it was decided (not by myself) that I need to make cards for a living. :)

This past Wednesday, Scrapbooksteals issued their weekly Mojo challenge. After taking a week off, I decided to give this one a try. Here is the sketch:



And here is my layout:



I used the very last of my My Mind's Eye Bella Bella papers (a previous "steal") and I'm sad. I LOVE the simplicity of this line and it's soft, muted tones were perfect for the layout I created. I also love the flourishes in the corners of the page. The background page was a journaling-type page with lines, but I cut out around the flourishes and entered the patterned paper over the lines. It turned out pretty cute!

Mid-Week Mojo Challenge!

I've been slacking on updating my blog, so forgive me! That being said, I have certainly not been slacking in the scrapbooking department! ESPECIALLY, with scrapbooksteals' Midweek Mojo Challenge every week! Here is the latest layout I completed for the challenge, as well as another layout that I am VERY proud of.

This is the sketch for the challenge issued on 7/28:



And here is my take on it:



Two-page layouts are always a challenge. Especially when elements, such as borders or photo backgrounds, need to match up on both pages. I'm very pleased with the way this layout turned out. I love these challenges because they're allowing me (or forcing me) to use pictures I either took a long time ago or printed out a long time ago. Now that I'm into scrapbooking, I can't understand why anyone would have a strictly "photo" album, or one that holds thousands of pictures and no personality. Granted, I am guilty and have about three albums FULL of baby pictures of my oldest daughter, but I plan on scrapping those pictures in due time!!

Moving right along...last week I found a picture of me with my Grandma which was taken at my wedding 8 years ago. My Grandma passed away a little more than a year ago and I miss her more as time goes on. I felt compelled to make a special layout with this picture:



Here is the layout I created to showcase it:



This has to be the prettiest layout I've ever done. I hand-stitched all of the embellishments in the corner and around the photo mat. I created my first "flowers" and they turned out so beautifully. Not that I needed the extra vote of confidence, but I knew I had done a good job when I showed it to my 3 year old and she gasped and said "Oh Mommy! It's so BEA-U-TIFUL! That's my Granny!" :) Granted, Maddie only met my Grandma once when she was 9 months old, and we never called her "Granny," but I LOVE that Maddie knows who she is.

Until next week!

Scrapbooksteals Mid-Week Mojo Sketch Challenge!

As you all know, I am a BIG, if not HUGE, fan of scrapbooksteals.com. After the success of their birthday week sketch challenges, they've decided to do a WEEKLY challenge every Wednesday. I, for one, am VERY excited about this! It means I'll have the chance to be creative at least once a week (provided the girls and husband cooperate!).

This past Wednesday was the first "Mojo" challenge. Here is the sketch:



And here is my interpretation:



Here is a close-up of the "pop-out" flower I did. I just recently discovered pop-out adhesives and I have to say, they add a whole new level of dimension that I wasn't aware I was missing out on!




I have to say, this is probably on of my favorite layouts that I've ever done. And, funny enough, the subject is ME! I've NEVER scrapped a photo of just me before, but I kind of had fun with this. And, after I was finished with it, my husband even chuckled when looking at it. :) I should add, he took the picture so he was pretty proud of the fact that I used it in the first place. As only a husband would be...

I used My Mind's Eye's Breaking Free line...which I LOVE. Well, I take that back. I pretty much LOVE anything and EVERYTHING that is MME!

Can't wait to see what next weeks challenge brings!

Scrapbooksteals Sketch Challenge, pt. 4

Today was the final day of celebration for scrapbooksteals.com's 1st birthday! FOUR new challenges were issued today. It will probably take me some time to get all four done, but here are the challenges:

1) Create a layout with 12 embellishments (buttons, brads, jewels, etc. NOT COUNTED!).
2) Create a layout with 6 different patterned papers.
3) Create a layout showcasing something you're thankful for.
4) Create a birthday card.

Here is what I came up with for each:

1) This is the layout I used for the 12 element layout:



This layout turned out SO GREAT! First of all, I had the perfect subject...my little Brutus. Second, I love how the colors from the papers and the buttons match so well. I've always been a little shy using buttons, but this layout made me a believer!

2) This is the layout I created using 6 different patterned papers:



I have had this picture laying around for, according to the date, about 6 years! It's about time I finally did something with it! I love how the layout turned out. I decided to make it somewhat patriotic since it the picture was from when Jeff got home from Iraq. This was from such a challenging yet exciting time in our lives and I'm so glad to finally have it displayed in a way that I'm proud to show off!

3) When asked what I am thankful for, my answer is always my family! I am so incredibly blessed that God trusted me enough to be a mother to Maddie and Erin. They completed my heart in a way I didn't know needed to be completed. I am also grateful for my husband who works day in and day out to provide for our family. Also, without him, my girls wouldn't be in my life! Here is the layout I used for this challenge:



4) I'm kind of, well, a novice when it comes to making cards. This past Valentine's Day, I made all of my cards for my husband and my daughters. They were SUPER cheesy compared to the cards I made for Father's Day and the card I made for this challenge. I'm not even going to post those because I don't want to embarrass myself. Here is the card that I created for the challenge:



Here is a close-up of the cupcake I made:



I have to say, I'm pretty proud of my cupcake. I can't draw worth a darn, but somehow I created this cupcake and then stitched with with multi-color thread. It might only be an inch in size, but it took me just under an hour to stitch!!

Thank you, scrapbooksteals, for keeping me busy the past few days! I've enjoyed being challenged!