Documenting July/August at Memorable Seasons

So, I am still going strong with my Project 12 and Project Life catchup.

I decided to do Project 12 for 2011 and 2012 and then switch over to Project Life for 2013. Well, I am "behind" with both projects. But, with the creation of the layout below, I am happy to say I only have five more months to document until I am finished with Project 12 completely. Project Life - well, I am weeks behind in that. But, I am diligent about writing down daily notes and then at the end of each week, writing up a weekly recap as well as gathering all my digital photos in a folder on my computer for that week. So, when it's time to play catchup, I'm organized and already have everything written down so nothing is forgotten. This way, I don't stress out as much about being behind. 

So today I am going to share with you another fabulous Page Maps sketch that's perfect for documenting Project 12 or any other layout where you have lots of photos to include... 

And here is my July 2012 Project 12 layout that I created based on the above sketch and using my Memorable Seasons July Authentique Pride Design Team Kit... 

So now for your challenge. Create a layout (about any topic) using the sketch above as inspiration!

The rules: 

* Create a new project for this challenge. 

* Upload your layout in the gallery and link back to this forum post by August 31st for a chance in the monthly prize drawing.

More sunshine with the Birds Of A Feather July Kit!

I seriously had so much fun creating with this kit. And I am even more excited I still have enough of the kit left to make several more layouts. If you haven't picked up a Birds Of A Feather July Kit for yourself yet, you can still grab one but hurry because there is only ONE left! That's right - a single kit left to be snatched up! There's still a few extras left too!

My first layout to share today was a super fun one to put together. This photo was taken on our trip to Kauai in 2010. First, I recycled a red potato bag and stretched it across my kraft cardstock base. I secured all the edges of the bag to the back of the cardstock with tape and then added some glue underneath my paper layers. Love the way it turned out! I had fun layering lots of different patterns and embellies as well. I also wanted a little sparkle here and there, so I incorporated a few of the sparkly buttons, two of the shimmery Pink Paislee butterflies (which are one of the extras this month) and then I used both the Mr. Huey's mist that came in the kit as well as some gold Heidi Swapp Color Shine to color the Sunshine chipboard sentiment. I also fell back on the Lily Bee alpha stickers (yet again) from the May kit to use as part of my title. Love those alphas!

And a few closeups...

My second layout features photos from last Fourth of July when we took Liam and his cousin Miles for their very first dips in a lake. I used a masking template from my stash and the Mr. Huey's mist to create a fun  background pattern. I used the darker yellow cardstock for the background because I wanted it to mesh well with the Mr. Huey's to give a sort of tone-on-tone look. I also pulled out the Tattered Angels chalkboard mists from the April kit and added some splatters to the background. Then I just layered a bunch over my background. 

And a few closeups...

Thanks so much for checking out my projects today! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Back for a Second Round at Memorable Seasons!

Hello all! I am thrilled to announce I have the opportunity to serve a second term on the Memorable Seasons Design Team! I hope I am able to continue to inspire you in the months to come and also be inspired by you in return!

This month I had the pleasure of working with Authentique for the very first time as I was sent their Pride collection. Authentique tends to skew to a vintage style, which isn't usually me, but I really had a good time challenging myself with this atypical-for-me collection. I not only used it for a Fourth of July layout but for a couple patriotic-themed layouts and a congratulations card. If you haven't had a chance to check out this collection yet for yourself, you can find it here in the Memorable Seasons store!

And here's the kit I received...

And the backsides...

And of course I bought some extras...

And now I get to share what I created with this kit!

When I saw the Statue of Liberty and liberty sentiment stickers, I knew right away I wanted to document my visit to the monument back in 2010...

I really wanted to make sure I used some of the fun cut-outs from the "Privilege" paper, and the "Greetings from Washington DC" title block just popped out and I decided to document a trip to the Washington Monument. I wanted to include some basic information about the monument that I found on Wikipedia, but didn't want it to be front and center, so I tucked it behind the papers and photos...

Of course, I had to include Liam somewhere. These photos were taken last Fourth of July...

And lastly, I created a congratulations card with one of the quote stickers...

So now, your challenge is to scraplift me in any way that you have been inspired by the above projects! Please remember to...

* Create a new layout for this challenge.

* Upload your layout in the gallery and link back to this forum post by July 31st for an entry into the monthly prize drawing.

Vacation and Every Day Summer Fun with the Birds Of A Feather July Kit!

It's time to share some more Birds Of A Feather July kit layouts with you! So, I am in love with this kit. Period. I think that shows when I spent an hour - yes, an hour - just choosing what photos I felt were worthy enough to go with this kit. I have a ton of photos I'd like to use with this kit...maybe I need to pick up a second kit? ;) No, I'll leave the three left in stock for you all - quick, go grab one! And, as Karen pointed out some of the extras are already out of stock so you better jump on those too! I did!

My first layout is based off one of the April 2013 Page Maps sketches. I totally love how well the We R Memory Keepers and Bo Bunny papers mesh together. I stuck with the blues, greens and yellows for this one since those were the primary colors in my photos. I fussy-cut out parts of the Bo Bunny journaling block so I could overlap it with my photo and the We R Memory Keepers paper. I used the Bo Bunny chipboard pieces and the Favorite Findings buttons to create a visual triangle.

And here are a couple closeups for you...

My second layout is only the second layout I have completed for our Kauai 2010 vacation album. I think I really need to scrap more of these photos because creating this layout totally took me back to Tunnels Beach. Such awesome memories! The colors in my photos are fairly muted for beach pictures because we were there at sunset, so I chose to use the kraft cardstock and Pink Paislee burlap flower to help tie in all the sand in the photos to the overall layout. I colored the sun with the Mr. Huey's mist, outlined it with my Signo white pen, and dotted every other ray with one of the tiny yellow Bo Bunny jewels. I decided the use the "Surf's Up" chipboard piece since I actually captured the silhouette of a couple surfers walking the beach in my focal photo! I also used the curve of the Bo Bunny paper to anchor my four supporting photos.

And a couple closeups...

I hope I've inspired you to dive right into your July kit! Happy creating!

Memorable Seasons Throwndown Entree Challenge - Week 5

I hope everyone in the US had a great holiday yesterday! We didn't do much ourselves, but have a group of 14 friends coming over this evening for a BBQ. So for this week's main course throwdown challenge over at Memorable Seasons, our recipe is based off what we are serving up tonight! 

Smoked Pork Shoulder with Spicy Dipping Sauces

So, I am challenging you to make layout based on the above recipe and photo! 

Your layout must have: 

(1) distressing or tearing for your pulled pork, 

(2) dry embossing for the dry rub on your pork AND/OR heat embossing for the hot wood chips you smoke the pork over, and 

(3) a trio of something for your dipping sauces. 

Here is my example using my Simple Stories 24/7 June Kit. I've torn one edge of the blue grid paper and two edges of the green cardstock. I also dry embossed the green cardstock and heat embossed my chipboard alphas. Then I have a trio of red hearts, a trio of yellow circles and then three trios of wood veneer stars. 

The rules:
* Create a new layout for this challenge.
* Please upload your creation into the gallery and leave a link in this post by July 10th.
* And have fun!

Memorable Seasons Throwdown Appetizer Challenge - Week #5

It's time for my week of Throwdown challenges at Memorable Seasons! And today, I am issuing a challenge based on two ingredients found in my own backyard - Rainier cherries and lettuce! We are very fortunate to have a cherry tree in our yard and have spent the past month coming up with different ways to consume all the cherries it has produced. The following recipe is one way we've eaten them, along with fresh lettuce from our garden... 

Rainier Cherries and Chevre Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

So, I am challenging you to make a salad (aka card) based on the above recipe and photo!

Your card must have: 

(1) a green background for your salad, 

(2) yellow and/or red circles for your cherries, and 

(3) a dash of white for your chevre cheese. 

Here is my example using my Simple Stories 24/7 June Kit. I've got my green cardstock background, several red and yellow 3D circles and white embossed grid stamping. 

The rules: 

* Create a new card for this challenge. 

* Please upload your creation into the gallery and leave a link in this forum post by July 10th. 

* And have fun!