"Marching" into March...

Happy March! There's nothing like a good scrapbooking crop and challenges to get my creative juices flowing, and this weekend, Shimelle is hosting one over at her blog:

It was just the boost I needed to get started on my March Counterfeit kit! The first challenge I took was the older photos/monochromatic challenge. I used all the yellows in my March kit, plus several neutrals, such as gray, black, and white. (ps-I love yellow and gray together! Reminds me of sunshine breaking through the clouds!)  Here is my layout:

I layered up a bunch of the journaling cards, washi, a frame, a couple of diecuts from my scraps bin, and a few cameras cut from the Amy Tangerine camera paper from my kit, flipped the green chipboard stars over, and inked them with charcoal American Crafts ink (that's actually why you notice a couple of smudges on my page, I tried to put them down before they were fully dry-oops!). I also glittered a wood veneer camera from my kit, and stamped a few of the stamps with the AC charcoal, as well. I love it, smudges and all, because it records a moment in my life that I actually haven't documented yet-my high school graduation. And it does it in a rather unexpected way, by telling what I thought my life was going to be like at that time, and how it is much richer and better now than I could have dreamed. Bonus:I got a great start on my March stash kit! We'd love to have you join us over at the Counterfeit Kit challenge blog!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge #3:Mix a Sketch

For today's scrapbook layout, I am playing along with the Counterfeit Kit challenge
Challenge #3: Mix the following two sketches together to make a fun, one of a kind project.  You can mix any parts you want, but make sure to use something from each sketch!

Link to Sketch from Studio Calico: Photo Credit

Link to Sketch from Studio Calico: Photo Credit

I liked the pile of tags and papers in the first sketch, and the squares in the second sketch reminded me of the 6x6 papers that I had in my kit, so this is the layout that I ended up with:

I love how I can still see elements of both sketches, and I love the fun little stack of embellishments and tags, and how I was able to tuck my journaling away!

Saturday Scrapbook Stamping: Using Stamps To Enhance your Backgrounds

I  am back, as promised, to share what I am doing with my stamp-inspired kit. I have decided to use the stamp set included in the kit in several ways to enhance my layout. The first way I am using my stamps is to create butterfly embellishments by stamping the butterfly stamp in several various colors.

Adirondack Sunset Orange:

After I would stamp a few, I would use my trusty favorite (baby wipes) for stamping to clean my stamp before moving on to the next color:

I stamped in several colors, but my favorite was one of my oldest ink pads, VersaColor Raspberry (at least 13 years old and still super juicy!):

After I stamped several butterflies in several colors, I fussy cut them, and moved on to my background paper. The plan was to enhance the paper and create movement across the page with Walnut Stain Distress ink:

I started in the adjacent corners, making sure to stamp over the edge:

Next, I wanted to enhance the stamping with some splatters of Mr. Huey's:

I let it dry, and then it was just a matter of putting it all together:

I also added pearls to enhance the stamped flow across the page:

I love the feeling of texture and movement, and it was great fun using my stamps and inks on a scrapbook page!

In Like A Lion...

Out like a lamb? I wonder if the old adage will hold true for us, as march has definitely come in like a lion, with the snow and ice last week, and the rain that is pouring down outside now!  Although I do think it is hard to get motivated to exercise or clean when the weather is bad outside, I do feel motivated to scrap! I started in to my March Counterfeit kit, and here is my first page:

I was inspired by this sketch from Stuck Sketches (I just rotated it to suit me):

It is not a page that requires a title or journaling, just pretty pictures from the beach that I wanted to include in my album. I used some of the cork pieces, some die cuts, some off cuts from the 6x6 pad, wood veneer that I colored by scribbling on them with the orange Gelato, then blended it/rubbed it in with my finger, a handful of the sequins, one of the doilies, and one of the flair badges.

A closer look at the details:

What are you working on today?

Supplies used:

Growing in Unity Day 3: Scrapbooking With Stamps

So sorry to be running late today, guys! The guy that's buying our house called and wanted to go over some things with the realtor unexpectedly this morning, therefore I was out of the house without access to my internet. But, don't worry, I'll leave the comments open-you have through Sunday to comment for your chance to win 2 Itty Bitty's of your choice. Anyway, onto the page I made to share with you all today!

Once again, I was inspired by this month's Unity Challenge:

 I used a stamp from Webster's Pages Itty Bitty line, Doily and Chevron Tag Set:

 

I stamped the doily circle tag, then punched it out with a circle punch and used as a large scalloped border:

 

Don't forget to leave me a comment for your chance to win!

Scrapbooking in Triplicate With a Bunch of Stickers (No Spend 5/50)

Today's page focuses on Shimelle's challenge to scrapbook in groups of three. This was actually a fairly easy one for me, because I tend to use groups of three on my scrapbook pages naturally. I used three embellishment clusters and three groupings of Heidi Swapp Color Shine mist splatters on this page, along with Shimelle's Sketch twenty-two.

My Page:

Shimelle's Sketch:

This also fits Shimelle's Sticker Sneeze challenge, so I am linking up to that, too.
One more page in the books, and I am that much closer to my goal of fifty pages! A tenth of the way there!

I used: papers by Elle's Studio, Studio Calico, My Mind's Eye, and an ancient one from the Paper Studio (polka dots), lots of stickers from the Echo Park Sticker sheet that was in my kit, Heidi Swapp Primrose Color Shine mist, Martha Stewart gems, and Jenni Bowlin washi, and my black/white diagonal pinstripe washi, and a few bits from the Jillibean Soup Pea Pod Parts.

I have Issues...Paper Issues...

I have been following paper Issues for quite awhile now, and I wanted to play along with some of their fun challenges ! So, I pulled out my March kit and got to work on their two most recent ones: "InstaLove" , and "Up In The Clouds". Now, I may be the last person in the world that doesn't have an Iphone or Droid, so I don't have an Instagram account (soon, I hope). But, my brother does, so I pulled an adorable picture of my nephew from my brother's Instagram to make this layout:

 The papers are Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic, Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm, And The Maggie Holmes line for Crate Paper (a lot of which are available at the Paper Issues store-AND you can use the code ASHLEY75 to save 20%!). The ribbon and chipboard pieces are from Lucky Charm also, and, since the umbrella in the chipboard pack was a little too girly for my layout, I painted it with a lovely mint green, and I coated the chipboard raindrops with Glossy Accents to really give them a wet look. I sprinkled October Afternoon Sprinklers and Mr. Huey's mist across the layout on a diagonal, and added a few little drops of Glossy Accents across the layout to really carry out the rain effect-and I love how it came out! Isn't my nephew the cutest thing in this raincoat and boots?

Here is a closer look at the "rain":

 I was also inspired by last week's "Up In The Clouds" theme. When I saw the challenge, I immediately thought of this gorgeous Maggie Holmes cloud paper:

Now, I am not normally a big fan of cloud paper, but this one is just so gorgeous that I can't get enough of it! I love the aperture/bokeh effect that is applied to it-so, so pretty!

Here is my layout:

 I used a lot of Maggie Holmes paper, and a piece of the Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm yellow hearts paper. I loved that this black and cream chevron already had a misted look-I added a little more, because I had some new Primrose Heidi Swap Color Shine that I was dying to try, added some Thickers, Jillibean letter stickers, a doily that I die cut with a Papertrey Ink die from a scrap, some misted wood veneer butterflies, washi, Want 2 Scrap pink pearls, an Amy Tan camera stamped on a scrap of kraft, a chipboard star with a cut out center that I misted with Gold Lame Color Shine, and filled the center with gold Stickles. I added Glossy Accents for "lens" on the camera:

I used this fabulous sketch from Shimelle:

Thank you for stopping by today, I made some more layouts with my February and March kits, so I will be back to share more tomorrow!

True Beauty

Today's project was a labor of love, a layout that I created for my oldest daughter. I am using a few current challenges that I wanted to play along with, and my "Hearts And Flowers" kit from February. I followed along with the sketch for this month from Artful Delight:

And played along with Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals challenge:

To be honest, I was a little intimidated by this contest-I have so many great ideas for projects swirling around in my brain, and the projects that have already been submitted are AH-MAZING! But, scrapbooking is what I love and do the most craft-wise, and the time is drawing down to enter. So, I cut some flowers out of paper scraps with this die (I am happy to report it worked quite well in my Cuttlebug with 2 "B" plates), and inked them up with Tattered Rose and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks, and scrunched and shaped them with my fingers.

 

I am also entering this layout in this week's Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Easter/Spring, since the photo was taken in the spring, and nothing says "spring" to me more than flowers!

 

Here is what my finished layout looks like:

 

Supplies used: Basic Grey, Doodlebug, Graphic 45, DCWV,and My Mind's Eye patterned paper, bling by ZVA and Want 2 Scrap, Basic Grey letter stickers and Butterfly sticker, Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die, Tumbled Glass and Tattered Rose Distress Ink and Ranger ink blending tool and pads, MME brad, and Mr. Huey's mist.

A Scrappy Sunday, part # 3 (In Good Company and Glitter Girl Challenges)

And, for my last post of the evening, I have a couple of layouts to share that were inspired by this week's Glitter Girl (using a die-cut machine) and a friend and fellow counterfeiter's challenge, In Good Company (she challenged us to use Jenni Bowlin products-and I had a lot in my September kit!).
My first layout, "1st Day Of School":

See It On 2 Peas

 Supplies used for this layout:Jenni Bowlin patterned paper and stancil sheet, Studio Calico Rolodex patterned paper, Crate Paper journaling spot, Basic Grey Oxford chipboard books and stars, a handmade felt bow paper clip, black foam Thickers, a layered paper flower cut with Mother's Day Bouquet Cricut cart, a stamped and heat embossed kraft journaling spot, and Elle's Studio journaling spot, Studio Calico mini letter stickers, twill ribbon, and a notebook edge punch.

My second layout for these challenges, "Puppy Love":

See It On 2Peas

This page uses yellow and gray, one of my current favorite color combos! The patterned paper is Jenni Bowlin Wren "Lace Curtain", Jillibean soup patterned paper, Studio Calico letter stickers, black foam Thickers, a layered paper flower cut with my Cricut Mother's Day Bouquet cart, handcut vellum feathers inspired by Jenni Bowlin studios, die-cut and punched pinked circles, Crate Paper journaling spot and "Sweet" tab, and Jenni Bowlin quilted Magpie stickers.
That rounds out my creative fun for today! Hopefully, I'll be able to play with my crafty goodies tomorrow, too. Thanks for dropping by my blog!

Autumn Love * A Layout Revamp*

Have you ever had a layout that just sticks in your mind after you've "finished" it? This was one of those layouts for me! I photographed it and put it away, but it still didn't "feel" finished to me. So I pulled it back out and went to work on it! Here is what it looked like before:

And here is what it looks like now that I fiddled with it a bit:

See It On 2 Peas

I like it much better, don't you?
What I did to change/fix it: The title and leaf die cuts just weren't "popping" the way I wanted them to. So, I inked the edges with Walnut Stain and Barn Door Distress inks, and backed them with red washi tape. I really wanted to tie it all together with the red, dark brown, and orange that I already had little touches of, so that is what I worked on next. I added some Jenni Bowlin vintage buttons in red and orange, tied them with brown and white baker's twine, and added a couple of little ruler border stickers that had the cream and dark brown.

My little printed tickets seemed just a little bit too pink to me, so I inked them a little more heavily with Barn Door and Walnut Stain Distress Inks...now, they are just the right color!

Just to balance all of the embellieshments and make the photo stand out a little bit more, I added a strip of golden yellow grosgrain ribbon to the right side of the photo, which I love, because it adds a lovely bit of texture.To finish it all off, I inked the edge of the whole layout with Walnut Stain.

So, what do you think? Do you like the newer version better? Did I improve it, or should I have left well enough alone?

My Crew *Inspired By Glitter Girl and Basic Grey*

I have been scrapping (or should I say hoarding) with Basic Grey for years now, and when I was working on organizing my scrapbook closet yesterday, I realized just how many unopened collection packs I have in my stash. So, I made up my mind to use some of it, and headed off into the blogosphere for inspiration! I stopped by the Basic Grey Blog and found this sketch:

I pulled out some papers and the sticker sheet from the BG What's Up collection, some scraps from my scrap bin, including a partial sheet from BG Nook&Pantry collection, a few matching partial pieces of cardstock, and then I headed over to Two Peas In a Bucket to procrastinate gather more inspiration. I found the newest Glitter Girl video, and decided to scrap along with Shimelle.

Here is the page that I ended up with:

See It On 2Peas

And since this week's Glitter Girl is all about clustering embellies, here is a closer look at my clustered embellies:

Supplies used:
Paper and stickers from Basic Grey What's Up collection, lavendar,aqua, and dark grey cardstock, patterned paper from Basic Grey Nook and Pantry, stick on pearls, Martha Stewart and Fiskars punches, Studio Calico letter stickers, and American Crafts Thickers.

Autumn Love

Just sharing a quick and simple layout that I made with some fun Jenni Bowlin digi products!
My layout:

Supplies used:
Co'ordinations cardstock, Jenni Bowlin Mercantile Mix 4 digital papers (I printed the yellow out on watercolor paper), Jenni Bowlin Printed Tickets Stars and Stats (also printed on watercolor paper and handcut), yellow-orange Target washi tape, Wasau cream cardstock,Studio Calico Mr. Huey's Mist, a scrap of fiber that had the warm, fuzzy "Fall Feel" to it that I wanted, and Jenni Bowlin's digital leaf die cut freebie:

 

(Click on the photo to be taken to the Jenni Bowlin Studio Inspiration blog to download)

Thank you for visiting with me today, I hope you enjoyed my quick and easy LO!

Master Forger's Challenge #1

Over at the CKCB blog, we were challenged to :

Challenge #1: Pick an OLD item from your stash and use it on your project. Don't be shy!
So, this is the page I made:

Even though it is not technically perfect, this photo is special to me, because it was taken at Christmas at my house last year, one of the last few times my family got together before my dad passed away this spring. He had just been goofing off and teasing my mom, and I got a quick snapshot of them laughing afterwards.
I mixed old and new in this layout. Items that have been in my stash forever: brads, stickers, and my sewing machine (I have had one for 12+ years, but just recently made myself start using it!). I used papers, punchouts, and stickers from Jillibean soup's Homemade 6 Bean soup collection, and I added in some aqua washi tape and Studio Calico Mr. Huey's mist.

Busy, busy, busy...

At least, it has been around here! What with the hustle and bustle of back to school, canning, cleaning, shopping....and later, I need to mow...but I thought I would take a few  minutes to share what I have been working on with you. Today's layout is based on this sketch from Creative Scrappers:

 

Here is my layout, made with my August kit:

 

Supplies used: periwinkle blue cardstock, light blue chevron patterned paper, Simple Stories Summer Fresh, Chatterbox Artsylicious goodies, American Crafts glitter mini brads, Mr. Huey's mist, and aWebster's Pages flower.