Magic Monday... Celebrate the Magic

For today's edition of Magic Monday, I took the challenge from Disneyscrappers: 

Night Magic Challenge 

Nothing is as beautiful at night as a Disney Park, it just twinkles and sparkles all around you.

The lighting around the parks, the parades, and the spectacular shows. I know you have many many night time photos that you want to scrap, but it can be intimidating.

For this challenge create a layout using photos taken at night in a Disney Park or Resort.

You must add something that sparkles

And also use these 3 night time Disney colors:

Pink, Yellow/Gold, and Blue/Teal

This challenge was the perfect inspiration to scrap this photo from the "Celebrate The Magic" castle show the last time we were at the Magic Kingdom. I used supplies from my April CKC kit, "Secret Garden." I made the journaling card in my Project Life app, and printed it at home. The glittery blue snowflakes were the only thing that were not in the kit, but I felt that this would be the perfect opportunity to use up the package and give a little nod to Frozen.

CKCB Design Team Activity:Gratitude Printables

Welcome everyone! It's been a little while since we have had a design team activity that we all participated in, so when Lisa had the idea for a "Gratitude challenge", I was absolutely on board! The challenge: use one of these awesome free printables from Allison Kimball:

This was a fun challenge for me, and it finally gave me a reason to scrap these photos from 2008:

These photos were so representative of that time for us- and I am so thankful for them! I am thankful not only for the things that I wrote about on the journaling card, but also for the time that I was blessed with to be able to spend the time with my children, at their field trips, and getting to experience so many of these moments with them. I treasure all of the friendships that developed from these times as well!

Here is the blog list to see what the rest of the DT did with the free printables:

Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog   http://www.counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com

Bethany   http://inspiredscrapper-bethany.blogspot.com

Lynnette   http://www.sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.de

Susan   http://littlethingsbigdays.blogspot.com

Susanne   http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.de

Leslie   http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com

Kelly   http://www.honeysucklehillcrafts.com

Margie   http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com

Lisa   http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de

We would love to have you use the printables to play along! They're awesome, free, and a great reminder to be grateful for the little things! 

Scrapbook Stamping Saturday...Background Stamping in a Line

I'm back for another edition of Scrapbook Stamping! Today, I am focusing on adding stamps to my background to add texture to my page. Specifically, stamping in a line on the background of my page.
I started with one of the simpler patterns from my April kit and used all of the ampersand stamps from my kit to stamp a pattern in a line:





And then I took most of the diecut ampersands from the kit (all were cut files from Wilna's Art and Design class) and layered them on top of the row of stamping:



And added lines of ribbons and washi for my page

And here is my completed (STAMPED!) page:

 And I have to say, it makes me feel really good to use my stamps on my pages. I am using them instead of just collecting them!  The Easter Eggs and "Happy Easter" were also stamped, using some Studio G Easter stamps:



Thanks for stopping by, I will be back on the 20th with a special post for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog. You don't want to miss it!

Layout for C.S.I. #156

I played along with CSI (Color, Stories, and Inspiration) for their very first challenge, and followed their challenges ever since, but haven't played along again until just recently. Since I had several of the colors in my March kit for this challenge, I decided to use the inspiration and play along, even though the prize deadline has passed.

 Here is the layout that I made with my March kit, in response to the challenge:

My evidence and the colors are in the frames (love that I was able to use so many of the frames, plus a good bit of scraps):

For my evidence, I used date stamps, and there were leaves, flowers, text print, and chevrons, which are basically a line of triangles. I love that I used so much color and pattern, but the white background helps to keep it  all contained and clean looking. For my testimony, I journaled a recipe- Butterbeer from my son's Harry Potter birthday party.

On Icy Beauty and Thinking Warm Thoughts

Just popping by the blog today to share a few of the photos that I took this past week when we were covered with ice;

It was so treacherous, but, as you can see, it was majestic and beautiful, especially when the sun came out! It just made the ice sparkle like a thousand glittering diamonds!

Since I was pretty much tied to the house, I was able to do a little crafting, and finished up a few layouts I had worked on. I don't think I have shared this one yet:

I used Maggie Holmes' first line, along with chipboard from Crate Paper's Party Day and Color Shine mist from Heidi Swapp to scrap these photos from Epcot- we were lucky enough to arrive a couple of days after the Flower and Garden festival ended, so were treated to a veritable feast of flowers and topiarys to photograph and enjoy! Our day at Epcot was a rainy one, but the cloudy skies just made it easier to photograph everything. My sloshy wet shoes were rather uncomfortable, but I am always one to look on the bright side of things.

Today will be a good day for me, as the snow and ice has melted, the kiddos get to go to Nanny's house and church for a while, and the Daytona 500 is today! Boogity boogity boogity let's go racin', boys!

November Counterfeit Kit Reveal (and a bit about my kit-making process)

Welcome to the design team reveal for our November Counterfeit Kits! The kit that was chosen for us to be inspired by this month was this gorgeous kit by Scrapbooks&Cards Today,
"Fabulous Fall":

I love this kit! So soft and pretty,I couldn't wait to see what I had to simulate the kit in my stash. I went a little overboard pulling papers to use, and had to put a few back. But, I love the kit that I came up with, and can't wait to get started using it!

(MY paper choices and how I chose them):

 I knew that I loved the Fancy Pants collection that comprises most of this kit, and I knew that I didn't have any of it. So, I started by thinking of the collections or companies that would give me the look and feel I was going for. I found a couple of gorgeous doily prints, a light blue one from a different Fancy Pants collection, "Wonderful Day", and a yellow one with a more vintage and distressed look, from Cosmo Cricket's Circa 1984. Next I knew I needed a soft and gorgeous floral. I found one that I loved in some new stash, from Crate Paper's Notes and Things. Next up was the orange Ikat print, and the closest thing I could find in my orange papers was the lovely aztec print from an older Crate Paper collection, Acorn Avenue. I decided then that the watercolor floral from acorn avenue would work just fine in place of the bokeh print, and chose a yellow chevron print from Crate Paper's Fourteen collection to replace the yellow chevron in the inspiration kit. I thought the cream leaf print from Bella Blvd would work as a substitute for the cream leaves and birds paper, and from there I just looked for a few papers to round out my kit , some with stripes, feathers, text, etc. I actually pulled cardstock for my kit this month, partly because the inspiration kit has it, and partly just because I have so much of it in my stash, and I have been using it rather frequently to back my layouts, etc. Instead of a sheet of vellum, I pulled an ANCIENT transparency sheet.

Choosing embellishments:
 I loved the texture effect of the embellishments in the inspiration kit, so I tried to stay pretty close. I had some "burlap" letter stickers that I put in first- even though the Thickers are mostly used up, I can still get a few more uses out of the sheet, and I will throw them away at the end of the month.I knew I also had a sheet of letter stickers from Sassafrass Lass that would go with my papers, and was very similar to the Basic Grey Mini Monogram stickers in the inspiration kit. I looked through my stash of flair, and pulled out a few that would go with my kit, and especially if I had an idea for using it on a layout. I don't have the leaf paper clips, but I have some very pretty metal filigree leaves from Freckled Fawn that took their place quite nicely. I had some Maya Rd leaf stick pins, and added one stick pin that I have had in my stash for a while. Maybe I will actually use them! I didn't have the burlap sticker shapes, but I have some canvas ones in similar shapes from Little Yellow Bicycle that work just as well (Maybe better, since they're in a white that would show mixed media a bit more, since I am still feeling inspired by the Art class I took last month!). I pulled some similar stamps and dies from my collection, and some tags, since there are tags in the kit. To finish my kit off, I added a few embellishment packages-from Basic Grey Persimmon, Crate Paper Close Knit (along with the matching 6x6 pad), and Crate Paper DIY Shop, and a package of wood veneer tags from American Crafts.

My kit, comprised entirely from my stash, "Fall Foliage":

I will definitely have to go through my fall photos for this stash-I love the warm, lovely colors, and the prints remind me of sweaters other lovely fall textures!

Are you feeling inspired? We would love to have you join in with us at the CKC challenge! I love it because it inspires me to spend less and create more. We have tons of tutorial posts, and some of our design team and participants do a lovely job "counterfeiting" the hottest new papers and trends from our inspiration kits each month. I don't usually make too many items for my own kits, simply because my own stash is so extensive (said with a blush and a bit of embarrassment) that I rarely even need to make anything, I usually have something that will work in place of each item in the inspiration kits. But it is nice to know I have the option to, and can do whatever I feel inspired to do or use! We would love to have you (yes, you!) join in, and make a creative kit for yourself to play with- and any way you choose to make a kit is alright with us! Be sure to link up, so we can drop by and admire your work!

Binty: http://scrappingpluv.blogspot.com
Margie: http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com
Lisa: http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com
Julene: http://julenebydesign.blogspot.co.uk
Stephanie: http://skylinepaperie.blogspot.ca
Susanne: http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com
Lesley: http://ohblogitifyoucantbeatthem.blogspot.co.uk
Angela: http://colestoucan.blogspot.co.uk
Lynnette: http://www.sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.com
Leslie: http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com

Growing In Unity Day 4: A Birthday Card and Fixing My Mistake

So, did anyone catch my mistake on my layout yesterday? "My 2 Little Tukeys"? I was rereading my post last night when I caught the mistake-my hubby and I had a little chuckle over it! So, I peeled off the letter stickers, realized I had thrown the leftovers from the green Thickers away, and grabbed a pink pack of foam Thickers to fix the problem. This is what the layout looks like now:

 

I also made a card to share with you today, because "My 2 little turkeys" have their 10th birthday party today! We are doing a party with a few of their friends at a local spa, and I am very excited for it! So, I made them each a little card that looks like this:

 

I started with pink card bases from Making Memories, stamped with Webster's Pages Itty Bitty Doily Decor along the edge, inked the edges of everything with Raspberry Versamark ink, added a strip of Crate Paper Acorn Avenue patterned paper, stamped a Chevron tag from the Webster's Itty Bitty Chevron and Doily tags set, added a birthday Sentiment from Paper Smooches, and a bit of pink sparkle to finish it off!

The Unity Stamps I used today:

Doily Decor (the set on the right):

 Doily and Chevron tags:

Thanks for visiting me today, be sure to leave me a comment on any of my Growing in Unity posts for this week for your chance to win 2 Itty Bitty's of your choice!

Growing in Unity Wednesday

Hi, everyone! I am taking on a different focus on my blog this week! I was invited to be a part of the Growing in Unity feature for Unity Stamp Company's blog this week, so I am up today, and for the rest of the week, with Unity Stamp projects. What does that mean for you? I will be sharing Unity Stamp projects all week, and I will be drawing one lucky winner from all of the comments on my Growing In Unity Posts this week to choose 2 Itty Bitty's of their choice.

The card that I am sharing today is made with one of my favorite Unity Stamp sets, "Music Of My Heart" :

Layered and colorful on the outside:

Clean and simple on the inside:

As I was browsing the web looking for inspiration to give me a jumpstart, I took a peek at the Unity Stamp Co Challenge for this month:

 

When I saw the color challenge, I immediately thought of Crate Paper's Acorn Avenue collection, so I took that and  ran with it. I stamped the bird on manila cardstock, fussy cut it, and misted it with peach Color Shine, then stamped the sentiment on the inside of the card. 

Please remember to leave a comment on every Growing In Unity post this week ( I plan to post every day, today through Saturday), to put your name in the prize drawing for 2 Itty Bitty's!

It's a Glitter Party!

Do you take scrapbooking classes? I do! After scrapbooking for nearly 15 years, you would think that I "know it all" when it comes to scrapbooking. And maybe I do (but probably not). And sometimes, that is the problem! When everything starts to feel the same, I have found that a class is often just what I need to jumpstart my creativity and help me see my lovely stash in a new light. Two Peas In a Bucket has some of the best scrapbooking classes out there-and a lot of them are free! My favorite free classes are the Scrap Your Stash series and of course, Glitter Girl! When I saw that there was going to be a Glitter Girl workshop, I was in-one of the first ones to sign up!

It is so worth the money, I have to say! It is self paced, and each chapter is just jammed with inspiration! I was lucky enough to be one of the early birds who earned a bonus video-but I think that it is worth it, even if you have been holding out and have missed the bonus.  (P.S. I am not paid or reimbursed for my opinion in any way-just really enjoy Shimelle/aka Glitter Girl's classes). Anyway, I thought I would throw a mini glitter party on my blog to let you know about the class in case you haven't already heard, and show you a few layouts that I have made that were inspired by the class.

For this first layout, Glitter girl nudged me, and reminded me that I shouldn't be saving those “special photos”, but, rather, using special paper to emphasize them! The photos fall into the “hard to scrap” genre for me, pretty, but no real story to them, other than the story of why I photograph such things! So, I told that story, and used some of my favorite papers, a beautiful orange ombre from Amy Tan's Yes, Please line, a Sassafrass Lass paper that looks like a bunch of layered borders, and even some of my favorite special embellies-camera veneer, askterisks(sp?) from leftover Thickers, and enamel dots. 

My layout:

 See It On 2Peas

For this spread, Glitter Girl actually inspired me to do a 2 pager!Very unusual for me, but I am happy about it and like the way it turned out very much! I was also inspired to use some favorite supplies-paper from the Pier Collection, Doilies, and Heidi Swapp's Peach Color Shine.

My layout:

See It On 2Peas 

 

Left side:

 Right side:

Obviously, I didn't go with the matching background papers (another Shimelle inspiration), I just took a couple from the same collection, and I feel that they went together very well. I did carry and repeat certain embellishments and papers across the spread to maintain the continuous look-light blue dot paper, yellow patterned paper, white doilies, woodgrain paper, and a couple of mint enamel dots are all repeated on both sides of the layout.

I have so many more notes and ideas from this class, and I am excited to keep creating layouts that are inspired by it!

What's next for me? Well, I was a very lucky girl this past weekend! I won these fabulous kits from Artful Delight, they showed up on my doorstep today (sooo fast!!)  and I have already started creating with the October kit! I have to add some finishing touches to my first page and photograph it to share with you. In the meantime, I will leave you with a couple of photos of the yumminess that has made its way to my desk right now!

 

Wowza! Aren't they great?

Another Day, Another Scrapbook Page...

This time, my layout was inspired by a sketch from the Scrappiest:

Again, I used my March kit (I am loving this kit so much! One of my favorites of all time!!):

 I used some of my favorite paper from Dear Lizzy's Lucky charm collection, and other bits and pieces from the kit (the banners were perfect for using up some of my scraps!), an Elle's Studio journaling card, a piece of washi from the washi tape sheet from Maggie Holmes, a few of the Maggie Holmes cut out tags, a few little Jillibean Soup letter stickers, some of the chipboard pieces from the Dear Lizzy chipboard Thickers, and some Gold Lame and Primrose Color Shine from Heidi Swapp.
I backed the cut-out letters with some Lucky Charm striped paper:

I love the yummy Color Shine mist too! I need more colors!
I am linking this layout up to: Simon Says Stamp: Cityscapes or Travel, since the photo is from a trip my family took last year, Layout Love Linky, The Scrappiest, and the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog
 Now...off to see what I can do for this weeks' Glitter Girl prompt...it's right up my alley, since it involves kit-building/scrapping from the limitations of a kit! Ta-ta for now!

Another layout from my March kit...

Just a quick post to share the page that I made using Shimelle's Sketch 12 and my March kit:

 Love the papers-Maggie Holmes, Pebbles, Amy Tangerine...and I added some of my new Heidi Swapp Color Shine mist, a Tim Holtz mask, some Want 2 Scrap pearls, a Basic Grey Canvas tag, pink chevron washi tape, a flocked Doodlebug brad, a heart from the Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm set fit in the fussy cut camera perfectly, and I put a coating of Glossy Accents over it to make a "lens".
Here is a closer look at the embellishments:

Thanks for looking-I always love to know what you think!

Scrapping up a storm!

Yes, I have been scrapping a lot over the last few days...it's kind of my stress release ;-) So, I pulled out my February kit

 and made a few pages:

 and this one based on Shimelle's Sketch #9:

(the sketch):

And another take, with my March kit, on the same sketch:

 I used Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm, Amy Tangerine Yes Please, and Maggie Holmes for Crate (all of my favorite goodies from the most recent CHA, basically!). I also used Cocoa Daisy and Amy Tangerine stamps from my kit, a white gel pen, and added in a set of embellishments, because I just love these yummy Glitz Giant Rhinestones...

Thanks for allowing me to share with you...now I have to go scrub some floors and do some laundry, to make up for all of my time spent scrapping this week ...