Fluffy

Last week over at Practical Scrappers, the Tuesday post was on using washi tape.  So, I created this layout using the sketch over on Brenda's blog for this month.  It also fits the requirements for Kerys's challenge (3 patterned papers, washi, and twine).  The photo is of my youngest in her first cloth diaper - when she is just under 3 days old.  I used Authentique Uncommon with some MME Indie Chic washi for the layout.

Share Everything Except Bad Ideas

So, I think I hit a challenge max with this one, but I LOVE how it turned out.  And since three of the challenges are "supposed" to be combined, I don't feel so bad about having 5 challenges complete with one layout.  It started with the sketch from ScrapbookSteals - Peridot 4.  When I saw the three photos in the sketch, I quickly decided on these photos of my kids sharing the tricycle.  All three of them get to enjoy playing with it at once - although probably in different positions than most would expect.  Then I thought about Kerys's challenge.  The layers were obvious in the sketch, so it was easy to add the stars and stamps. Since some of the papers I chose already had stars, it was even easier :)  Then it was time to think about the title, and Rochelle's word art challenge along with Scrap Your Story's font challenge worked perfectly together.  The Share Everything was just perfect, and of course with the five words, I would use 5 alphas probably anyways.  Last is Kristi's logo challenge.  I wasn't sure I was going to include it, but when I had the spot on the bottom left that need an embellishment, the Radio Flyer logo was a perfect fix.  

For the details:  Papers are all 6x6 from MME, WP, and CP.  I used stamps twice - for the stars (I think they are Imagenisce, but I am not 100% sure) that I fussy cut and the word cute (MME Collectable).  The alphas are Thickers, Silhouette cut, and MLS tiny alphas.  I finished off the pinwheel with a Oriental Trading button and some Twinery Twine.  I have decided I need a date stamp after this layout, and I will add that to the bottom left.

Smile

The fabulous Kristy Lee challenged me to create a layout with the following "rules:"

• 1 page
• 1 4x6 photo + 5 2x2's
• Banner
• Washi
• Journaling in a circle
• Misting

That day my oldest lost her first tooth, and I decided photos from that would be perfect!  I knew I wanted to do the filmstrip for the 5 close-ups.  And I figured out the journalling and misting quickly.  But the rest sort of just mulled in my head for almost 2 weeks.  The colors, papers, etc weren't so easy since her outfit was just a white shirt (and black skirt that you can't see).  Last night I finally decided on black, white, and pink.  I got the film strip done, and then was stuck again on the papers to use.  This morning I decided to go with washi tape, but then I got stuck again thinking the layout was boring after getting the "basics" on.  So, I turned to some of my other favorite challenge sites - SWAT and TPGCB.  Over at SWAT, the challenge is a tic-tac-toe board.  Of the nie squares, I used 6 of then, but I only got one line (And that one is a little stretch).  I have 3 buttons (the little hearts below the title), stitching (at the top right corner of the photo), and 3 manufacturers in the washi (Downtown Tape, Freckled Fawn, and MME).  I also have doodling, which is also the challenge over at TPGCB, misting, and skip the pattern paper.

The best part of the challenge for me was creating a layout on y own without a sketch.  I so often use sketches, that I am starting to like the challenge of doing it on my own :)

Sunday Best

Here is my layout I did for the Artful Delight sketch challenge for April (excuse the not so great photo - a storm blew in making any outdoor photos impossible).  I used some homemade modeling paste for the first time on this.  I learned I need more practice!  I tried misting on top of it, but that became a mess because the ink took forever to dry.  So, I added another layer of modeling paste and "dressed it up" with some Doodle Bug hearts.  I used a variety of washis for the stripes, which was fun!  I turns out I have a lot of green and pink.  I then cut the butterflies out of scrap paper using my KLD template.

Here is the sketch:

I am entering this into:
Artful Delight's April Sketch challenge
S.W.A.T. Basic Training - Modeling Paste
Kristi B's April Challenge - Something that Flies (Butterfly)

A Fun Tag Layout

One of my scrappy friends (Laurie) had a birthday sketch challenge on her blog.  She provided the sketch  and we were to use it as inspiration for a layout in honor of her birthday.  I barely got it done on Monday before the deadline!

The picture I chose to use is of my daughter and a cousin of her's playing with our toy firetruck.  I took inspiration from their jammies and the firetruck for the color scheme.  As for the papers I used, it is a huge mis!  I think there is EP, MME, CP, and LilyBee in there (plus the kraft).  And then there is some Freckled Fawn and MME washi, buttons, brads, and some scraps of ribbon and twine to finish it off.  It was a fun layout for sure!

I am also entering this into the ScrapbookSteals MCM #18- The Wonderful World of Washi.

And here is the sketch:

A Card and a Layout

I got two projects done this weekend.  I was going to post the layout yesterday, but it was SO windy here that I couldn't get a picture of it today.  And since I have DT projects to post tomorrow and Tuesday,  I decided to just post them together today since they are for a couple of challenges.

Let's start with the card.  This is for my husband's grandmother's birthday.  I took inspiration from the Paper Girls Challenge for the colors on this one.  And the design is based off of the current Unscripted Sketches sketch.  I Used MME Fun day  paper along with some solid cardstock, a MLS stamp, some WP trim, and a Stampin' Up stamp.  I colored the flower with Stampin Up colored pencils.  I am also entering it into the ScrapbookSteals MCM #16 - Stamp It.

As for the layout, this is based off of the Amber 5b sketch over at ScrapbookSteals by guest sketcher Michelle.  I used Authentique Loyal and Echo Park For the Record 2 for this cute layout of my son meeting one of his great grandma's.  Other than the base piece of kraft, all of the paper is scraps (for the About a Boy Challenge).  The colors worked perfectly for Rochelle's color challenge too (although my greens are a little darker).

Keep Calm & Ski On

Yesterday a new MWM sketch was debuted over at ScrapbookSteals.  Well, actually there were two since Guest Sketcher Michelle King decided to wow us with an extra one.  I decided to work with 5a to begin with, and quickly realized I wanted to use the Crate Paper Lillian papers I had out for another project I had just finished up.  They were perfect for the S.W.A.T. color challenge, so I got to work planning the layout.  The only problem - I didn't have any 12x12 pieces left!  So, I did something I had considered for a long time.  I took the MWM sketch and made it part of another sketch!  This week's Unscripted Sketches was perfect to pair with the MWM layout.  I made the MWM part an 8.5x8.5 square (as that was about as large as I could with what I had), and then used other scraps to finish the layout off.

 I am really loving rosettes these days, and this one worked perfectly to hide a little punching mishap.

The title is inspired by Brenda's March challenge - using the works Keep Calm &... on your layout.  

Here are the two sketches and the color scheme:

Get Crafty With It

 Here is another layout I created this week.  With my husband gone on a work trip, I spent most of my evenings after the kids were in bed crafting.  I had actually started this layout a week or two ago, but I just never finished it.  But, I wanted to clean off my desk, so it got done!

The photos are a few years old of my oldest painting some wooden ornaments for Christmas.  I plan on journalling on the plaid paper, but I just haven't gotten there yet.  I took inspiration from her clothes and went with some NS papers mainly for this.  The pinks and greens are just so fun!

I am not loving the misting - I am just not great at it!  But, I do think it gives a little more interest to the page and goes with the crafty theme to the layout.

Above is the sketch it is based off of - a Page Maps sketch for Kerys's March Scrappy Friends challenge.  And I used four photos for the S.W.A.T. Challenge (Four Focus Fun).  Finally, I made sure to use two shades of green when finishing it off for the ScrapbookSteals MCM # 17.

Too Good to Use a Little Spoon

Kerys had another fun sketch over at ScrapbookSteals this week - Amber 3.  This one I thought, and thought, and thought about!  At first, I "knew" I was going to mist and have it count for Kristi B's challenge.  But, then I second guessed myself because I only have three colors of mist, and I am not very good at it.  Then Saturday, I saw the new SWAT training using misting, and I knew I had to give it a go.  Two challenges asking for misting that I normally do is enough push to finally do it.  I used my Kiwi Lane scallop stencil and make some contact paper masks for my layout.  I then went to work misting the paper.  It got a little messy, but I figured out that if I cut out the scallop area (three colors connected still) and was careful with the photo placement, most of those "issues" were gone.  And the extra bit of green misting would work good at the top to help anchor it!  i then went to add the strips of paper like in the sketch, but I didn't like it.  But, I found there were good at the top, again for some balance.  Then I cut out some hexagons from some 6x6 paper I have.  I am not sure if the papers are OA or not, but there are from an Artful Delight kit that had OA papers in it (since the mists are OA, it is where I thought to start).  The title is a big mix of alphas - Thickers, EP, and A I think.

And as for the photos - they are of my youngest (about 17m old "here") using a wooden spoon to eat Chick Fil A sauce.  She grabbed it off the kitchen table and went to work when my back was turned to help her brother and sister.  Needless to say, she loves sauce!

Daddy/Daughter Target Practice

This layout was a challenge for me.  First, I decided to go with an "odd" color scheme for me - grey, black, and orange.  Since we don't celebrate Halloween, it is a color combo I had never done before.  But, the colors went well with the photo, so I tried it.  And since I had recently sorted a lot of my paper by color, it wasn't too hard to find the orange and black papers.

 To make the scallop, I used my Kiwi Lane Design mini scallops (2A and B).  It was pretty easy to cut once I had them drawn.

For the bracket, I used KLD Bracket 3.  I traced it on to some paper from the garbage to get the full shape lined up, and then I used my actual template as a mask for the ink.  I finished it off my stitching around the edge using Twinery Twine (thank Paper Girls for the inspiration).

As for what papers I used, there is some AC baby papers, WP petite papers, NS Dan the Record Man and MLS.  The washi is MME Indie Chic, and the title is a mix NS, Authentique, and cut fromt he Silhouette.

And here is the sketch it is based off of from Brenda's

 blog:

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Embrace Change - Jade 9

This layout kept morphing as I went along.  I knew once I saw the ScrapbookSteals Jade 9 sketch that I wanted to use this picture and my hoarded Authentique Journey papers.  The sunburst was the easy part.  And the twine was a no brainer as well, as the current Paper Girls challenge is to use twine.  But then the photo placement caused problems.  When I tried to use the sunburst rotated the other direction, there wasn't a great place from the title.  So, I rotated it.  Then I thought about the title.  I decided to use some of the sayings from the WordArt Kerys has on her blog for her February challenge.  I thought about cutting out the words with my silhouette, but they were going to be so small that it would be hard to keep them intact  etc.  So, I made a mask of sorts and inked on top.  The smaller ones are still somewhat hard to read, but I kind of like the effect it gives.  All of those phrases are ones I don't want my son to forget!

The photo is from the day my youngest was born.  Although the photo isn't centered, it is one I will cherish for sure!  It looks like a very special time between daddy and son on the day they became out numbered (3 girls to 2 boys).  Since these are the two males in my life, I also though it was a perfect picture (and layout) for the first challenge over at About a Boy - Introducing (your boy).

Hidden journalling

The Sketch

The WordArt

Ready to Roll

I actually got this week's MWM over at ScrapbookSteals done already!  I had this picture of my youngest sitting on my desk, and I decided to just go with it and make it work for Jade #7.

 I took inspiration from her hat (and outfit) and decided to use Sugar Cookie from Nikki Sivils for this layout.  The hearts with the purple and pink seemed to work perfectly.  Since the photo was a little off center, I deced to add some twine on the left side to balance the photo.

The hardest part of this layout for me was the embellishments tot he right of the title.  I just couldn't get them right.  But, I am at least not hating how it is now.  I do like the photo corners turned into arrows on the washi, but the rest is just ehh.

The bottom right corner was a lot easier :)

And here is the sketch from the wonder Kerys!

Make it Sparkle! (UIT Reveal)

 Time for the first challenge for Term 4 over at Use It Tuesday.  Our challenge to you is to make it sparkle!  You can use glitter, bling, or anything else that sparkles and shines.  And I know you have to have some sparkly things in your stash!

I decided to do this layout of my son in his "winter" gear.  I had a one piece bunting for him in sizes NB and 6-9 months, but between those he wore this jacket and hat combo that was his big cousin's as well as some red footy pants when we went on walks that ended at the park.  I thought it was wintery enough to use this DCWV glitter stack paper I have had for at least 4 years.

The snow flakes are Hobby Lobby fun foam things i picked up to help decorate for my kids' snow birthday this past year.  I loved that the blue pulled the blue from his jacket and hat.

While digging to my stash for thread, I found this silver mesh from WP that I got in my warehouse box last summer.  It worked perfectly with the papers once matted loosely to the white paper.

 And the layout is finished off with a little stitching using WRMK Sew Easy floss that I have had for at least a year.

The sketch is from Artful Delights (ASC #27).  The title is inspired by a challenge over on Rochelle's blog - to use lyrics from Bill Crosby's "Baby, It's Cold Outside" on your layout.  And the winter part is inspired by Kerys's challenge on her blog this month.

Remember that to be eligible for Top 2 and Winner over at Use It Tuesday, you have to follow the theme (Make It Sparkle!), use hoarded supplies from your stash, and mention both the supplies and UIT in your post!  Oh, and don't forget to link up of course :)

3 is not for me!

I had printed this photo of my son last week, with plans on using it for Jade 1 at ScrapbookSteals.  But, I only got one layout done last week, so it was still sitting in my pile to scrap when I saw this week's MWM sketch (Jade 2).  Although the sketch is for two photos, I knew I could easily adapt it to only one - meaning i didn't have to get more photos printed!  (Which is always a good thing during this busy time of the year).  I pulled out my MME Hip Hooray papers and got to work layering things for the big photo mat.  As I was working, I remember the NOEL challenges over at Kerys's, Rochelle's, Brenda's, and Kristy's blogs.  I knew I could include some of those in this layout!

N for numbers are easy!  The picture is of my son on his third birthday, so I just used the number 3 in the title.  Then it was on to O.  I just couldn't figure out how to add an oval to this layout, so I skipped it and will use it on another layout this month.  Next comes E for eyelets.  I knew I wanted to use 1 on the tag, and I had seen brads used on the corners of pages recently.  So, I took that idea and added 4 eyelets to the top left corner.  I wish I would have gotten them a little straighter, but I still like the look :)  Finally was L for lined paper or list.  Well, my Hip Hooray scraps and mixed in with my Alphabet Soup ones, and that collection has a great lined paper in it.  So, I used it for the journalling, and I think it worked perfectly.

And here is the amazing sketch by Kerys:

Coral 8 and 9

Here are my takes on the two most recent sketches over at ScrapbookSteals.

The first one is based off of a sketch by Venetia Holbrook.  I use EP For the Record 2 on it (plus a page of their black paper).  

The second one is based off of a sketch by one of the Brittany's at the Steal Network.  I used NikkiSilivis Lil Monster on this one.  I really love this line that I got in my warehouse box!  I also included the three things in Rochelle's challenge - a chevron, metal (the brads holding the banner up), and a journalling envelope (under the collage).  Now for a secret - the pictures are "collaged" on to the layout.  I haven't printed them yet, as I didn't really start thinking about this layout until today.  So, I might add a few more embellishments around the pictures later once I actually have them!

Why I Scrap

I decided to do a page on why I scrapbook.  I went searching for a good single photo layout to try, and I came across this one from Sketches in Thyme.  I thought it would work perfectly with Kristi B's challenge to create a shape outline with embellishments.  Since I was wearing turquoise in the picture, I went with some Authentique Journey for the majority of the layout.  I created the circle with a bunch of translucent/opaque buttons.  Then I layered on the photo and die cuts from Journey.  I wrote the journalling on black cardstock and then finished the layout off with some washi tape and of course inked edges.  

I loved using Journey fr this because some of the words on the die cuts were just perfect for the layout.  Scrapbooking is a great escape for me, so I knew I had to use that one.  And of course photos and journey fit in perfectly as well.