Portland

Love the colors this week at CSI!  Red is a fave of mine and it was the perfect combo for this cool sign in downtown Portland.  I think the map paper paired with the red and brown stripe scallops really lends to the rustic feel of the photo.

For my evidence I used floral paper, stripes, and flourish.  My journaling relays info from a trip

The layout

The case file

Just Look At That Face!

The challenge:
Use a paper bag on your project

Little paper bags are kind of in right now, but you can use any grocery sack to make cut outs or upcycle a bag you received during a purchase.  This is what I did.  I used a little sack that I got when I made a purchase. I used it as a matte for my photo and to hold the journaling tag.  I will definitely use this technique again.

The layout

Surprise Surprise

The colors this week at CSI were super fun!  And some of the evidence prompts made it easy to choose the photos I wanted to use

I scrapped about the time my friend Adele surprised me by flying out to visit me.  I even went to the airport to pick up someone, I just thought that someone was a friend of John's!  We had a great weekend.  Steff even came down from Portland for some fun too.  I really felt loved and important all weekend long.  It still amazes me that someone would go through that much trouble for just me.

My evidence used was pom poms, frames, and something that shimmers.  My journal tags are housed in a vellum envelope that I made.

The layout

The case file

11/15 Pam Young Sketch Card

I recently discovered that one of the CK peeps has a sketch blog.  She has some fantastic sketches!  I decided to play along this month and chose to use it for a card.  I think it's the perfect sketch for a card and will use it time and time again.

You can find her blog here.  She creates a sketch and modifies it for using as a single page layout, double page, or a card.  Come play along too.

So Very Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!  Here is a little look back to last year's celebration.  I will be off to spend the day with all of these fun people.

If you shop till you drop, fall softy.

The layout

Charming

The Challenge:
Make borders around the edge of your layout

I like making a border around the edge of my page.  I can help "hold" things in and make them nice and cozy, not just off into space.  I also used the sketch that the weekly challenge had us use.  It was a great one for some everyday photos that didn't really have a story of their own, but a super cute subject.  The sketch called for 1.5" photos and paper squares, but I bumped them up to 2" to get more of the cutie in them.

I cut the chevron strips and place them in a frame pattern, then added the brads at the corner to anchor them down.  I like how this one turned out!

The layout

Home

This week's CSI challenge had a lot of wooden browns and creams with just a hint of green.  I really like the look of these natural colors.  The journaling prompts had me doing a layout about my favorite room, the living room, and the colors worked well with this subject.

I also used a Pamela Young sketch that I just loved!  I love the stack of strips that is on the right.  It was a perfect way to stack wood grain papers to mimic the wood floors and frame of my couch.  I also used a window and added some foil embossed paper to the strips to finish my evidence.

I placed a piece of lined paper behind the window, which I applied crackle to, for my journaling.  I just talked about how I love this living space and I love curling up on the couch with a good book when it's rainy outside.

The layout

The case file

Lady In Orange

Another thought is up at Thinking*Through*Design.  This week we are discussing using those papers that come pre-embellished.  We all have them, and some of us struggle to use them.  Come and find some tips to help you get some quick pages done with paper that already has some of the work done!

The Layout

Hay Fever

Another round of Chinese whispers and I got to go first!  I started off with a sketch from Scrapbook Generation and pretty much stuck to it.

I scrapped the photos from last year's Hay Fever.  It was a lot of fun to set up and I love seeing all the children in their costumes.  John worked a both again.

The layout

Home is Where The Heart Is

At first the colors at CSI didn't excite me much, but I love how the pieces just came together in such a fun way and turned into something I really like.

My evidence used is: stripes, flowers, frames.  My journaling is about my love of our wood floors.  So rich in color and fun patterns.

The Layout

The case file

My 1st Merry Christmas

I figured it was about time to finish up the holiday layouts from last year before this year's holiday season came around.  I made this one for my nephew's first year album.  His first Christmas and he was old enough to really get into it.  It was so fun having a baby at Christmas again!  He LOVED getting presents and knew what to do with them.

The layout

Bombin' Tradition

The Challenge:
Create a layout about one of you family's holiday traditions

Recently the wonderful woman that ran my favorite challenge at Club CK had to step down for a time in order to deal with some personal issues.  I have done the Issue Challenge every week, without fail, since I joined the club.  It is such a great idea that has us pouring over our magazines, looking for new ideas and techniques.  A group of us felt that it was an good enough idea, that we wanted to continue it in her absence. We brainstormed challenge ideas and picked 8 randomly.  It is hard to choose!  Then we assigned the weeks amongst us and got to work.  I had the first week and had already the idea to do this layout, so it worked perfectly.

I did my layout on something that was once an irritation, but has become a fun tradition. Every Christmas I would try to get a nice photo of my kids in front of Grandma's tree and they would do photo bomb after photo bomb! Finally, I would get a nice photo. Then I started looking forward to what goofy faces and poses they would come up with and thus was born a tradition. In fact last year they went right to the nice pose to throw me off and I made them "do it right"

The layout

Our Day

This week at CSI the challenge was to scrap a special event.  What is more special than a wedding?  I have not scrapped any of my wedding photos, so this was a great chance to do so.

For my evidence I used: damask, ribbon, frames

My journaling says, "26 years ago I said, "I do", to you.  I would do it all over again and not change a thing!  Our trials have made us who we are today and I like who we've become.  On that day, Our Day, you made me so very happy and that only continues to grow!

The layout

The case file