Happiness = Creation

Watch a Movie With Me

2012-02-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

The Challenge:
Create a layout either about the movies you enjoy watching with your loved one or an activity you enjoy doing together.

I decided to do the movies that John and I like to watch together. They are mostly action/spy type movies, but John recently discovered Leap Year and liked it. Probably because he is a lot like Declan, lol.

I had some ideas that I wanted to do, like the marquee, but I struggled with how to display the movies without just having them sitting there. I remembered a sketch by Page Maps that used photos hung on a clothes line and thought this might work as a way to have my movies grounded to the page. I found these cute papers by Authentique that had the tickets on them and thought they would be perfect. The line also included sticker tickets too. Then I went online and searched for popcorn and movie tickets. I had no trouble finding a popcorn box, but could not find anything I liked for the popcorn. I ended up just drawing them and then cutting them out. I love how cute and fat they turned out. Finally, I found a site where you could personalize a movie marquee so I made this into my title and rimmed it with yellow gems. When I took the photo, the sun was shining off the gems, making them look lit up!

The layout

I'm a Princess - Lil Laura

2012-02-23T09:18:00.001-08:00

Another fun challenge at CSI this week! I wait until the case goes up and then peruse my photos and pick out something to scrap. I decided to go retro this time and scrap a couple of childhood photos of me. I had a couple of fun retro lines of paper from October Afternoon and Crate Paper that I thought went well with these era photos.

For my evidence, I did major distressing, made use of metals and mixed straight lines with organic shapes. For my testimony, I wrote the roots of the matter.

I was pretty excited about my metal piece, the sub-title! I just got a set of metal stamps. I have had these metal tags forever and really didn't know what to do with them. I hammered my sub-title right on with my new stamps and then worked some black ink into the crevices. I like how it turned out and feel I will be using them a lot!

The layout

Daddy Time

2012-02-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

Another layout for my nephew's first year. I pulled some photos of him and daddy and used manly colors and patterns.

I used the Fab Friday prompt at Frosted Designs to use brads and/or eyelets. I actually used both! I used eyelets to sting my twine through and create the illusion of it holding down the vertical strips. Then, I placed two groups of 3 circle brads to add interest on the brown vertical strip and used blue, square brads on the skinny plaid strip to add interest and shape. I turned the square at a different angle to add even more interest and some contrast. I used a Page Maps sketch for inspiration in the design.

The layout

1st Bath

2012-02-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

The Challenge:
Use your stickers an enhanced way.

I decided the first bath photos I had of my nephew would be great for this challenge. I knew I had some splash stickers and thought adding dimensional glaze to them would make them stand out and look wet. They were a little light in color, so I added them to some darker cardstock and cut them out first. I then used some foam tape to give them a little lift. Finally, I added the dimensional glaze on top of the water parts of the stickers. I have found dimensional glaze to be very helpful in giving flat embellishments a more finished look. I use it a lot when I add stamping to layouts too.

The layout

Born This Day

2012-02-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Challenge
Use a calendar on a layout

This was the perfect challenge for a layout documenting the birth of a baby! I have the Stampin' Up Full Calendar stamp set and found it to be the perfect embellishment. I used the February stamp that comes with the set and used my Smash date stamp to add the dates on the days. I then cut out a heart frame on my Cricut and used it to circle the day my nephew was born. I added the year in the month box too with the date stamp too. I used a sketch from one of my Scrapbook Generations sketch books. I pulled the colors from the polka dots on the main horizontal strip. He sure looks a little put out about having to be born! LOL.

The layout

Butterfly

2012-02-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

I got right on my project for this week's CSI case file. The colors are so happy and sunny. Nice at this time of year when things are bleak and dark. I am also playing along with the Frosted Designs sketch challenge. Jenny Evans had an awesome sketch for this round and I love it!

I pulled out some photos I took last summer on a trip to my mom's house in Missouri. We went on a hike one afternoon (not used to doing that in such high humidity,lol) along this pretty little trail. There were these cute little yellow flowers and as I came up to one, I saw a pretty little butterfly sipping nectar. The butterfly was so nice and let me take a photo of him.

We hiked down into a creek bed that was sort of dark and spooky and I found some tree roots that had cool designs in them. I thought it would be perfect to add this photo since one of the evidence prompts was to use wood grain accents. I also made a strip of wood grain using my Big Shot and made the grain stand out by applying a dark distress ink on the raised area. I pleated some fabric to cover both the use of fabric and pleats. And, finally, I added some painted, metal brads. For my testimony, I used the tell three things prompt.

The layout

The sketch and case file

Fishy Face

2012-02-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

When I saw the color scheme for this weeks CSI case, I thought this photo would go well with the challenge. The photo was taken on our visit to the aquarium. I crawled into one of those bubble windows in the piranha tank, not an easy feat! This is my best fishy face.

I couldn't find a decorative fishing net, so I got some hemp twine and crocheted one. I like how it turned out, but it was a bit painful as the twine is rough. For my evidence, I cut some seaweed leaves out of green paper, in the challenge colors, and then distressed the edges, crinkled the face and then inked them. For my other evidence, I used my die cutting machine to cut out the fish and the anchor from the eggplant color. I also used the eggplant paper to make my little urchin. My red is in the die cut paper and the flesh color is the background cardstock.

I loved this week's case!

The layout

The case

Showered With Love

2012-02-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

This is another layout for my nephew's first year album. When I read about Frosted Design's challenge to use ribbon or twine, I thought these photos would be perfect! I immediately thought of balloons with twine for strings. I found this cute die cut on my Hoot N' Holler Cricut cartridges and added the twine on the die cut string portion. I must say I am loving using twine! I used Creative Scrapper's sketch 192 for inspiration too.

The layout

The close up

The sketch

Baby Boy

2012-02-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is another layout for my nephew's first year album. I decided to use the sketch at lovejoypaper.com for this month's challenge. I thought it would be a cute one for a baby page. I had intended to use hearts in all the circle spots, but then I saw these clouds and changed my mind! I did use hearts for the bottom circles. I also flipped the sketch to give more weight to the clouds. All the patterned paper is by MME and is a super cute line.

The layout

The sketch

And Baby Makes 3

2012-02-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am doing an album of my nephew's first year. I'm so excited! I decided to start at the beginning and this will be the title page. I used the current sketch over at Frosted Designs. It is a fantastic sketch done by none other than my friend Ashley Horton! She is used to me taking her sketches and turning them into a double, and believe me when I say that it will do that with this sketch, but I thought it was perfect for the opening page of the album.

The Layout.

The sketch

Valentine's Day Blog Hop

2012-02-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

So glad you could join us for the Valentine's Day Blog Hop! You should have come from Beth's blog. If you didn't, you should go begin at the beginning at Amanda's blog to partake in all the fun.

For this hop Amanda sent each of us a little packet full of goodies to all of us to make a Valentine card. It will be fun to see how differently we all use the supplies!

I think I used everything she sent me, lol. I covered the little die cuts in the paper that was in the packet and tied the button hole with the twine given. I used a piece of coordinating paper from my stash, that went well with what I received, as the background. I also used a little glitter mist on the red, punched paper to tone it down and help it match the other papers. Finally, I punched a couple of frames to hold my title which was a cute brad.

Thanks for stopping by. You can continue to hop along over toSteffanie's blog to see what she has created

Fly

2012-02-01T17:04:00.000-08:00

The Challenge:
Create a hybrid layout. (one that uses digital and paper)

I did this layout for two challenges. I did the Issue Challenge that calls for us to create a hybrid layout and I also used it for this week's CSI challenge.

My dad and I spent last Saturday out shooting photos. We had a blast! We intended to play with our macro lenses, but we ended up going back and forth between that and our telephoto lenses! There was a ton of bird action out there. It was a gorgeous day and I guess the birds wanted to enjoy it too. We went to a nearby wildlife refuge and saw two huge groups of Canadian geese sitting in a field right by the road. There were thousands. They sat there all afternoon, flying from group to group. On our way out of the park, we swung by to see if they might all take off since it was getting onto evening. We watched for a while, taking photos of the smaller groups moving between the two groups and then photographed a couple of hundred geese, flying in to join their friends, from someplace else. We had just decided to move on and my dad stopped to photograph a nice reflection that he saw when, all of a sudden, the largest group all took off! They flew over and joined the smaller group and those geese flew into the air to meet their friends. It was awesome! Geese everywhere, flying every direction, right next to us! I'll never forget the thrill.

I knew these would be great photos to use for the CSI challenge. I used paint as my wet medium, black gems, striped paper and I used a digital frame around the photos. I chose to journal about what the photo meant to me. There is much more majesty in taking to the air than sitting around where it's safe.

The layout

The case file

Barren Beauty

2012-01-29T16:12:00.000-08:00

The Challenge:
Use brown, teal, and purple for your layout colors

I had used green and purple for my layout about Tenas Lake and we went up to the observatory right after that hike, so I thought I would keep it going.

It really is quite a sight to see these badlands. For such a green state, it is a reminder of the volcanic past. Some of the mountains are not dead, there are changes to them each year. I guess it's a reminder of a possible future too. Even though the landscape looks bleak, I see a beauty there. You can see most of the big, snow topped peaks in the state and the contrast between blue sky, white snow and black lava is very stunning. I love this place as it has maps and windows that let you gaze on these pretty peaks and lets you know what you are looking at. It is a quite popular place to go. The highway that leads here is the old highway between the valley and the high desert. It was also the wagon train way over the mountains. I can not imagine trying to get through here in a covered wagon!

I decided to go with no real embellishments on this one, to go along with the barrenness of the landscape. I decided to, instead, add extra journaling. I just gave it a touch of twine. I like the distressed look of the journal blocks too.

The layout

Growth

2012-01-27T12:44:00.000-08:00

I am so glad I got to play along with CSI's challenge this week! The colors were so beautiful. When looking at the pallet we had to work with, I thought of these photos I took with my macro lens during a snowfall we had a couple of weeks ago. The pink in the rose bud matched perfectly to the pallet. I thought the other, softer colors played well with a winter flower.

I incorporated a circle in the overall design and then reinforced by the flowers, button and gems. I used a tag for the journal/title spot. The sheer ribbon was a good way to add the lavender, and the stick pin, which I made from coordinating beads, adds the gold metal elements. I also chose to journal about growth being found even in the bleak winter months. I used a sketch by Sketches in Thyme and I think that is Thyme, which is dormant, represented in one of the photos.

The layout

Here is the challenge specifics and sketch

Tenas Lake

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Challenge:
Make a layout inspired by a card.

I used one of my favorite cards for this challenge. It was one I made, but the sentiment fit perfectly for these photos of a hike I did with John. I also used the same color scheme. Really, I find such joy when we go on hikes, after I catch my breath ;) There is such beauty in the state I live in and I am constantly amazed at the wonderful lakes and vistas we have the privilege of seeing! I love hiking and I love getting new material for scrapping. We're out making memories.

The layout

The card

The Watermelon Story

2012-01-22T12:39:00.000-08:00

I did this layout for two challenges this week.

I did the CSI case #2. I found this site to have some interesting takes on challenges. You are to use color and pick prompts for embellishments and journaling.

I used flowers, swirls and I embossed the raspberry paper with a brick texture.

I also used the Fabulous Fridays prompt to use acrylic, vellum or a transparency at Frosted Designs. The transparency I chose went really well with the color scheme for the CSI case.

I was also inspired by Erika at Club CK to scrap a story that you don't have photos for. The only photos I have of this even are the ones in my memory. In order to not lose such a cute memory, I wanted to scrap it. I went out and bought a melon so I would have some relevant photo, lol. I am very glad to have someone encourage me to get that memory out of my head and in my scrapbook!

The story is about one of Kayla's first adventures driving solo. I was setting up for a big BBQ and we needed to get 3 watermelons. We sent Kayla because she could drive now. When she came back, she just walked in the house and said the melons were in the van. I walked out to see that she had placed each melon in its own bucket seat and fastened the seatbelts around each one of them. I was probably one of the cutest things I've seen!

Farewell Sketchy Thursdays and a Fave

2012-01-19T07:31:00.000-08:00

Today one of my favorite challenge sites announced their last picks of favorite layouts, based on their sketch of the week. I had the honor of my layout, Marco, chosen as one of the last faves! You can see here http://sketchythursdays.blogspot.com/2012/01/0112-our-last-winner-and-our-last-faves.html

I have learned so much from using their sketches and studying their layouts and those that they pick as faves each week. I think I've grown a lot since I started playing with them. I just wanted to take a moment to say, "Thank you!". And I can't wait to see where the ladies end up next and what they may have in store for us.

Macro

2012-01-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

This is my last layout for the Sketchy Thursdays challenge site. They are calling it quits after this week's challenge. I am so very sad, but I understand how much work this must have become for them. I want to thank all the gals over there for giving me this last year (almost) worth of inspiration and awesome sketches. I will miss you and hope the you continue to share your talents with us someway, somewhere. So thanks and I decided to go have some fun and try some stuff that I haven't done before.

These photos were the first photos I took with the macro lens I got for Christmas. It is amazing how ugly, brown weeds become cool and beautiful when you change your point of view. I first stood there thinking that there was nothing to photograph, but then I started seeing the beauty in the close up. I can't wait to go play with it some more!

The layout

The Sketch

Run

2012-01-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

I have started a Thanks Living book. It is a whole way of looking at life that has been started by my good friend Erika at ClubCK. She is challenging us to identify things every single day that we are thankful for. This goes beyond the month of thankfulness that happens in November, but really looking at your life and finding the many blessings you have. Even on the hardest days there are things to be thankful for. I know recently when I had a really difficult day, I had to sit and really think. One of my choices was I was thankful that the day was over. There is always something we can give thanks for. And you know what? I felt better after writing them down.

To go along with this mindset of thankfulness, she is challenging us to make a layout on one of the things we journaled about each month. She is also using the challenge to talk about design and how we can use the principals to be better scrappers. This month's principle was all about lines and how we use lines on our layouts to direct the viewer's eye and focus. My layout started with a Z line, but I'm not sure it held it. That was the goal though.

I chose to do my layout on my resolve to be better fit. I have started a program, which I downloaded to my iPod, called Couch25K. I am thankful for so many things that go along with this subject. I am thankful for my good health and my ability to run, my supportive husband who went and bought me good stuff to help me (he told me that he was proud of me today!), I am thankful for the technology that allows me to be successful and inspires me, and I am thankful for a beautiful place in which to achieve this goal! I kind of wrapped all that into this one layout.

I was also inspired by the challenge at Frosted Designs to use paint. I splattered the background with blue paint to draw out the blue in the photos.

Hands of the What?!

2012-01-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

The Challenge:
Use letter stickers in the body of your journaling

As soon as I saw this challenge, I knew this story would be perfect. We got together last Easter, Mason's first, but we really just sat around and talked. We didn't do anything Eastery. As we were telling stories, Kayla exclaimed, "I have the hands of a cobra!" What?!? Cobras have hands??? Where do they keep them? Of course we all busted up laughing and, to the day, tease her about her cobra hands.

We Are Young At Heart

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Challenge:
Use pink and use it in an unexpected way. Not a layout on babies, little girls or love

I was a little stumped by this one. I wasn't sure what that meant; in an unexpected way. Then I was checking out the Scrapfit blog to see that two of my peeps were made designers there (congrats!) and this month's workout gave us the song Love is a Battlefield by Pat Benatar to use for our inspiration. As soon as I saw the line We Are Young, I knew what photos I wanted to use and the light bulb went off in my head that this is also the perfect way to unexpectedly use pink! So, I am using it on a layout of our church's Family Fun Night Minute to Win It. I used the pink for a splash of fun, pairing it with other fun colors and patterns.

This is my first time playing with the Scrapfit girls. Can't wait for the next time!

The Layout

Where I Run

2012-01-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to photograph the place I go to walk and/or run. I'm trying to become a runner so it helps to have a beautiful place to go and do it. I stated the Couch25K program and we shall see. At the moment, I'm a skeptic, but I am going to give it my all.

I saw this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch and I thought it would go really well with this subject. I also wanted to work on my clustering and be more artsy/messy. I like order. I like symmetry. I like things in their proper place and I have found that I have struggled with the shabby look. I love to look at layouts done by people who are extremely talented with it. I love looking at Erin and Kelly's layouts. They really rock the shabby. They are so good at clustering totally random bits and pieces and it looks good! I know I just need to go do it if I want to get better at it, so that's what I set out to accomplish on this layout. It's a start, but I like how it turned out. I also used my nemesis color, yellow.

The Layout

The Layout- both pages

The Sketch

Season of Lights

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

When I saw that the sketch challenge at Frosted Designs was made by none other than Ashley Horton, I knew I just had to play! I have missed playing along with these guys. They have lots of fun and inspiring challenges. Life has been just too busy!

I chose to use these photos I had taken of the lights of Christmas. I just love the lights! They are so pretty and fill one with a sense of joy and wonder. I meant to take more photos this year, but, see above re: life being busy. I actually used a paper line intended for summer, but the bright, colorful design was perfect for a layout about color and light.

The layout

The sketch

Leader of the Band

2012-01-02T10:34:00.000-08:00

I was invited by Amanda at lovejoypaper to be a guest designer for her monthly challenge! She provided me with a sketch. As soon as I saw this sketch, I knew which photos I wanted to use. These photos have been sitting around, not inspiring me at all, but I wanted to tell the story. I'm so glad there are so many wonderful sketches out there to inspire us. Thanks Amanda!!!

The Story:
Just 6 months after graduating, Bryon was hired by the school district to be the Pep Band director during basketball season. He was up against three other applicants too! He had many compliments given to him or about him by everyone from the high school principal to the athletic director to the band teacher to the kids themselves. I am so very proud of him.

IRL

2012-01-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

The Challenge:
Scrap a layout using emotion.

I chose to scrap meeting some of the friends I had made at Club CK. Nine of us gathered together for a weekend of scrapping and fun. I remember someone saying that I was quieter than she expected and I thought about that for a moment and realized that I was just so content. It was one of the nicest craft weekends I've ever had! Here we were, friends who had just met In Real Life and we felt like we had known each other for years and I felt so happy and content to just be there among my friends. It really didn't feel like I was in a room of people I didn't know or just met. It seemed like I was in a room with old time friends that I hadn't seen in a while. I can't wait until this year's crop! We will have many more laughs and memories then I am sure!

The Royal Wedding Album

2011-12-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

The Royal Wedding album is complete! I had such a great time making this and reliving all the memories all over again. It really was such a fun wedding made up with the most amazing people. Thank you to all of you who were part of this amazing day!

Here is the album in order

One Big Happy Family

2011-12-23T16:59:00.000-08:00

The Challenge:
Use three things that inspire you from the Nov/Dec Creating Keepsakes magazine

Looking through my magazine, I found that I really liked a flower that was corrugated so I corrugated my stars. I also liked some "wrapped" presents; complete with ribbon ties, so I added some of these. And finally, I loved how one scrapper "tied down" her tag with a brad a short distance off, so I did this too.

The sketch is this month's sketch from Sketch Support

The layout

Moonriver Pizzeria

2011-12-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

The Challenge:
Scrap about your favorite holiday treat

I can't say that I have a favorite holiday treat. We don't bake the same special cookie for Christmas or some treat for Halloween or a delicacy for Easter, but we do cook pizza every Fall for Sunday Night Football. We invite friends over the watch the game, eat yummy homemade pizza and to catch up with or get to know them better. It is a long running tradition that I look forward to every year!

I used a sketch from Sketch Support and the Life is Good kit from Echo Park

The layout

Here Comes the Bride

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Challenge:
Write your journaling in a shape

I chose to make the page of the wedding party walking down the aisle for this challenge. My first thought was to use a flower or butterfly to write the jounaling in, but decided that there was an elegance to the page that such a shape would take away from. There was an empty shape on one of my sticker sheets so I traced it on a piece of scrap paper and used that paper as a mask while using my alcohol inks to create a cool white space to journal inside of. I then glittered the edges to give it some texture. I also made the stick pin.

I also used another sketch from the muy talented Ashley Horton!

The layout

The sketch

Friends & Family

2011-12-11T16:46:00.001-08:00

We were so blessed to be able to share the joining of Kayla and Kyle with so many of our friends and family. It was a lot of fun to see so many great people turn out for the wedding! I chose to use this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch to showcase some of the photos of these great people.

I flipped the sketch on its side and stretched it into a double layout to fit more photos.

The layout

The double

The sketch

Blog Hop winner!

2011-12-05T08:53:00.001-08:00

Random Org has chosen comment #10 made by....GLOANN!

GLOANN said...

So cute. I remember making those with the foiled gum wrappers as a girl. Not the wreath; just chains.

Be sure to convo me your address and I will send this little goodie on its way to you.

Dance

2011-12-04T16:11:00.001-08:00

The Challenge
Place you photos into photo strips or arrange like photo strips.

It was funny when I read this challenge because I had already had this in mind for these photos. I had just finished placing them in their strips when I read the rules. Great minds....mmmm. I wanted to use another sketch from the amazing Ashley Horton. It was the perfect sketch to use a bunch of photos taken while guests hit the dance floor at Kayla's wedding. I just tipped it on its side.

The dancing was so much fun! Everyone got in on the action. I saw her friends, aunts, uncles, cousins and even grandparents all taking part in the fun festivities. The workers at the winery told us that they had never seen a group take to the dance floor as quickly or stay as long as ours. I had a ton of fun! It is so nice to know that my daughter has so many wonderful, fun friends.

The layout

The sketch

Homemade Holiday Blog Hop

2011-12-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Homemade Holiday Blog Hop!

You should have reached my blog from Ashley's. If you are lost or want a full list of the blogs participating, be sure to start at the beginning at the amazing Amanda's. It's your source for holiday decorating and gifts.

I chose to make a gum wrapper wreath that I made for Christmas gifts last year. I thought they were pretty cute and easy to make. I chose to use patterned paper in place of actual gum wrappers, but I used the same folding and assembly directions. Below is a tutorial of how I make them and here is a link for the directions I found at the BHG website http://www.bhg.com/christmas/crafts/folded-paper-wreath-ornament/

I will be giving away the wreath I made to one random comment posted by someone who is also a follower!

Pick your papers. I picked three patterns and colors, but you could pick more or less if you like

Cut pieces into 1" x 2 3/4" strips

Fold in half. Be sure to make clean edges and crisp folds. I use a folding bone.

Open up the strip and fold edges into the middle

Fold in half again

Fold the already folded strip in half lengthwise, fold edges in to the middle

Make another piece in a complimenting color and insert the ends of the second piece into the space between the last folds of the first piece.

Make more pieces in other complimenting colors and insert into the chain. I find it easiest to insert the ends into the smoother side of the preceding link. One side has extra paper edges rather than the clean edge of a single fold.

Continue to build your chain. Mine measure 9 1/2" in total. You will know you are done as you gently bend the chain into a circle. When the ends meet comfortably, you are done.

Fasten the ends together. I used floss.

Add adornment and hanging apparatus and enjoy!

Be sure to hop on over to Heather's blog for some more great ideas!

Mr & Mrs

2011-11-18T15:29:00.001-08:00

The Challenge:
Use Ashley Horton's sketch and incorporate stitching in the layout

Ashley Horton is a fellow scrapper at Club CK and she is so amazingly talented! Seriously, this girl needs to go pro. This week for our Issue Challenge, we were given one of Ashley's sketches that she is designing and asked to make a layout with it. We were also challenged to used stitching as it is quite popular right now. I actually love to stitch on my layouts! It adds texture to my design and I find it relaxing.

I changed the sketch just a bit. I made the large circle into a heart, I moved the strips to an offset position and used a vertical photo. It was a great design to use for what will be the last page of The Royal Wedding album

The layout

The sketch

Welcome to the Family

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

I participated in a Game at Club CK called Chinese Whispers. It's like Telephone. The first person on the list starts out with a sketch and they make a layout and email a photo of the layout to the next person on the list, but not the sketch. The next person makes a layout and sends it to the next person and so on.

I really loved this layout that I made! I turned a one page into two (it's kind of expected that I do, lol) and it worked great for these family wedding photos.

Fab Friday's Embossing

2011-11-13T15:24:00.001-08:00

Frosted Designs hosts a Fabulous Friday Challenge which challenges you to use new techniques and products. This week's challenge was to use embossing. I love embossing! I love the fun little folders and my Big Shot to run them through. It brings such a great texture to a card, layout element or even letters.

I just made two new cards. I really feel like the embossed background gives them that extra oomph.

The first is a Thank You card for my daughter's wedding shower. I embossed the background and then I punched out a couple of purple scallops, embossed them and cut into them to make them look like flowers.

The second card is a Christmas card. I made these for my step mom for her birthday. First I embossed the background paper, then I rubbed it lightly with a white stamp pad. I love the look that it gave the whole card! It gave it that sort of old fashioned look. I embossed the red solid paper too.

Shy

2011-11-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Scrap a story about your childhood

I chose to scrap about how so very shy I was. I still am today, but I do not let it define me and most people think I am joking when I say that I am shy. I don't want my shyness to keep me from making friendships and doing things that require me to be more outgoing. I just have to push those uncomfortable feelings aside and press on. Most people never notice the things you think are your deficiencies or weakness any way.

As a child though, I was painfully shy. I didn't have many friends in school and I was very quite. If you ask someone from High School to describe me, they will probably say shy or quiet or both. It is something I have been working on and I think these photos remind me of how far I have come in gaining confidence.

I decided to use the Sketchy Thursdays sketch. I thought it went well with the photos. I like how one of them is almost like a poloroid and it totally fits with the era. The October Afternoon's 5 & Dime papers with a piece of Crate Paper's Emma's Shoppe lends to that era feel. I added glitter Stickles to the flowers to bling it up and Crystal effects to the leaves to give them dimension.

The layout

The sketch

Son

2011-10-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

I knew as soon as I saw this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch what photo I wanted to use! This is my favorite photo that I have of my son. His eyes just look so cool!

The Layout

The Sketch

Stick Pin Tutorial

2011-10-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

Beaded stick pins are quite popular these days in scrapbooking. They can also be kind of expensive. If you have a few pretty beads and a handful of head pins, you can make your own for a lot less! A lot of bead stores will sell beads singly too. Here are just a few easy steps to making your own pins.

Please forgive some of my out of focus photos. It is really dark here today and I am trying to do this on my own and the camera was giving me fits on focusing.

First collect your supplies. I used some crystals, some pretty pearls and flat head pins. You could use fancy head pins for an added cool look. I used Glue Dots to hold the beads on the pin where I wanted them, but you can also use Superglue. I just didn't want to wait for it to dry.

Arrange your beads how you like them on the pin

I used a piece of a glue dot to hold the beads in place on the bottom bead. I just stuck it on and formed it around the pin. You could use Superglue here too. Just remember to hold it upside down until it has dried enough to hold. Then follow the package directions on how long it should sit until used.

Oi la, here you are; pretty pins to stick into an embellishment, under ribbon or however else you come up with for them!

Happy stick pinning!

In A Flash

2011-10-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Use a blurred photo to tell your story

I knew just what photo I wanted to use! I took this photo at a marching band competition where at the end of the competing, all the bands line up on the track. Each lane of kids is facing the opposite lanes next to them, so when they start marching, they are all intermixed and facing other kids coming at them. It is the coolest thing to see! There are hundreds of kids in all different colors in a swirl of motion. Since it happens in the dark and it would be almost impossible to get a good photo that was still, I decided to set my settings so that the photo would be a blur of color and design. It's a cool photo, I think. It also tells the story of how fast my 8 years as a band parent went. It sounds like a lot, but it really did go fast. It was something I loved doing with my kids and I made so many good friends with parents and other band kids. So, hold on to those things and even jobs you have as part of being a parent, because they really are gone in a flash!

The layout (only one page!)

The sketch

Beautiful Bride

2011-10-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, and there is no bias here, Kayla was the most beautiful bride I have ever seen! She radiated beauty on her wedding day; inside and out. There was an amazing inner glow about her that was stunningly beautiful. She cleaned up quite nicely on the outside too. We had some great friends and family helping us get ready for the wedding and they did a great job helping to make her look and feel gorgeous! She really did look and act like a princess on this day.

I chose to use the Frosted Designs sketch because it frames the main photo and adds a bit of feminine to it with the ribbon. The ribbon is from presents she received from Bed, Bath and Beyond and really has a very nice feel to it. And I was thrilled that my bow turned out so well. I usually stink at bows, lol.

The layout

And this topic really needed more than one page!

The sketch

I Spy

2011-10-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Leafing Memories Blog Hop!

You should have come here from Kathy's blog. If not, hop on over to Amanda's blog to begin at the beginning.

To be honest, I had the hardest time coming up with what I was going to do for this hop. We were supposed to do a layout with photos that had leaves in them. I thought, "Great! The Fall leaves are so pretty here." THE LEAVES HAVEN'T CHANGED! At all! Ok...plan B...what is plan B...I have no clue! Then I remembered this little guy I photographed while visiting my mom this summer. I have never seen one of these before. We almost walked right by him, but he was on a branch that overhung the trail and my step dad spotted him. Super cool!

I also used three of the very same photo. I've always admired this technique, but when you have so many photos, you just don't have a use for using one photo three times. I also got to use these really cute leaves that I won as a prize from Sketchy Thursdays. I ran them through my embossing machine to give them a cute textured look. I also love that my rub-on letters had that pieced/ransom sort of look.

And now you have your chance to win!! Take the inspiration we've provided you and create your own project that is leaf inspired. Post it to your blog, gallery or Flickr and share the link with the Mr Linky widget on Amanda's blog You have until the end of day Sunday, Oct 23 to post!

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to check out Melissa's blog

Grad

2011-10-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Use a sketch in the October Creating Keepsakes Magazine

Not only did I find a sketch I liked and thought would work well for the photos of Bryon's graduation that my dad finally found, but I pretty much lifted the layout that went with it. I added another page, of course, but I really liked how the original artist used the sketch. That big banner just screams celebration and it was a moment of celebration and family fun!

The Layout

Teacher

2011-10-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Use apples in your layout

Well, this seemed like the perfect challenge for scrapping Kayla receiving her teaching license in the mail! I am so proud of this girl. She has wanted to be a teacher since she was 2. And kids just love her! They are always drawn to her.

I fussy cut the different embellishments from patterned paper and used Stickles and Crystal Effects to help them stand out.

I also used the Sketchy Thursdays sketch as it was a great one for my two little photos and had a large space to journal in. I like how they made it easy to incorporate the title into the journaling.

The layout(only one page this week):

The sketch:

Frosted Design Top 3!!!

2011-10-03T17:01:00.001-07:00

Today my It's About the Journey layout was chosen as one of the top 3 at Frosted Designs! I am super excited. Be sure to visit their site and check out all the fun sketches, tutorials and challenges they post all week long.

2 Heart 4 Ever

2011-09-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Use numbers in your layout

Not only did I do this layout for this challenge, I used this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch. What a great sketch and challenge. I loved the stitching over the two hearts; to me it says that they are now stitched together as well as being a cool design element. We had the most amazing photographer and I wanted my papers and elements to be muted and toned down to let the photos shine and to draw the eye to the two hearts. I think this has to be one of my most favorite layouts!

The layout

The two page version because there are so many wonderful photos!

The sketch

The Journey

2011-09-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

I loved this week's Frosted Design sketch! I chose to use it to scrap some photos that I've had for a while with this layout in mind. My husband and I like to hike up a local hill. We go quite often since it is basically in town. There are a few ways up it; there is the main way and then there is a side path. The side path is longer, but I think it is much prettier! The main path is a wide loose gravel path and the side path is more of a hiking trail. There are fewer people on it too. The two paths join together and reach the same vista, which is gorgeous, so to me, it's all about the journey and we will all enjoy the same destination.

My husband and I seem to part ways on this. For him, it's very much the finish line and how fast can we get there. Did I beat you? Not me in particular, just whoever. For him it is about the destination. He doesn't even like to hike trails that don't have some sort of end event like a lake or a waterfall. Never mind that it was a wonderful hike, there was no bang at the end. I am ok with having a different point of view. I think that is what make life interesting!

I used some great paper I got while on my crop last month by a new company called Authentique. I love this paper! I only hope someone around here carries it soon!

My layout

And because I love double pagers!

The sketch

Car

2011-09-18T16:51:00.000-07:00

I was having a hard time deciding what to do with Sketchy Thursday's sketch this week. I thought about my friends and the sketch really wasn't inspiring me to do anything with any of my friendship photos. And then, when I was picking photos for a different project, I came across these photos of my son working on his car with his friend. He is always dinking around with his car with his friends; it's what they do for fun and the inspiration floodgates opened up! This sketch was perfect for these photos!

The layout

The sketch

The Venue

2011-09-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Use clustering on your layout

I am loving using clustering in my photo placement and having multi-fonts in my titles! I want to get better at clustering my embellishments too. I just like the cozy look of it!

I did another layout of the wedding venue for my book. I used the same photo placement of the first one, but changed up the papers and the embellishments. It would be interesting to have a side by side comparison too.

The first layout. Interesting at how different they are!

Bryon Mini

2011-09-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the other mini book I made at the crop I went to. This one is Bryon's. I used mostly My Mind's Eye with a few other odds and ends.

Kayla Mini

2011-09-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

I decided that making up the two mini albums I had would be a great thing to do at my crop last weekend. I wanted to do one for Kayla and the other for Bryon.

First up is Kayla. Both albums are from My Mind's Eye and so are most of the added pieces. I did use a few other odds and ends.

Celebrate Freedom

2011-09-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Challenge: use stars on your layout

This was the perfect challenge to get my 4th of July photos scrapped. Sometime holidays aren't so fun to scrap. Maybe that it's a been there, done that sort of thing, I don't know. I enjoy the day, but sometimes it feels like a chore to get the photos scrapped. Maybe I just need a new idea and a little nudge like I got here.

I used an Allison Davis sketch from one of her books, some stitching and some mist. It really is a simple layout and I really like how it turned out!

Prank

2011-09-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

I recently was able to go to a crop and meet 8 peeps from Club CK! We had a blast! Seriously, it's like we have known each other for years! On the last morning, I was taking my stuff out to my car and Amanda was standing just outside the sliding glass door from our crafting space. I walked out and she is taking all these pictures of me and I was looking at her wondering why she was taking all these pictures of me carrying out my stuff. I came to my car to see that it was wrapped in Saran Wrap! Ah, now the pictures make sense. Gee, I wonder who did that??? Funniest thing ever!

I decided that the layout needed to have plastic wrap included and it needed to be ATG pink to go with the ATGs the three of them are holding like guns! That and Adele can't stand pink and it is my little bit of revenge, bwahahahahaha! I chose the loopy Bazzil Basics stitching template too because, well, they are kinda loopy...
I also thought that this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch was a good one to use for this layout.

The single

This event NEEDED more than one page!

The sketch

Meeting Peeps IRL!

2011-09-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Wenatchee (renamed Wantohatchanegg by our Dallas peep), WA to meet with 9 fabulous scrappers that I met on the Club CK board.

What a blast we had! It was not like we were all meeting for the first time, it was like we were old friends that had not gotten together for a while. We all got along so well; there were no awkward moments at all! There were so many laughs, some until tears were streaming down faces.

We all crammed together into a hotel room turned into a conference room, but I think it helped to get to know one another better because we were all essentially around the same table. We got a lot of scrapping done too! 102 pages collectively. We even spent one morning at the local scrap store. We were joined by many flat peeps from around the country too. They caused a few problems, but were fun to have with us. And we help a Skype call with some of those not able to be there in person.

We are so doing this next year too!

The Most Likely to Spend a Night in Jail group of Laura, Becky, Adele, Amanda

The Flat Peeps join us in shopping

We took Craft Warehouse by storm!

Our Skype call. We were joined by Kathy, Megan, Mary, Kim and Kim

All of us at Quiznos

Our small, but cozy craft space

Random Facts About Me

2011-08-30T16:11:00.001-07:00

The Challenge: Use trivia in a layout about you or your family

I really didn't think I was going to be able to do this week's Issue Challenge at Club CK or do the Sketchy Thursdays sketch challenge, but I was able to get this done in about a half an hour. I had thought of the random facts while at work and knew what photo I was going to use and the papers just sort of fell into place! Love it when that happens. I really like how it turned out and I consider myself to be very random!

The Layout

The Sketch

Out of the Office

2011-08-26T07:44:00.000-07:00

I will be out of the office for the next few days meeting up with Club CK Peeps and getting new blog content. Have a great weekend everyone!

The Venue

2011-08-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

I participated in a round of Chinese Whispers at Club CK. The first person of a group selects a sketch and sends it to the next person in the group. This person creates a layout and emails a photo to the host and the next person in the group. And that person creates a layout based on the photo they got, not the sketch and passes it on down the line and when everyone has done a sketch, there is a big revel to see how close the layouts all stayed or just how different from the sketch they turned out to be. I have played twice and have been on the sketch end of the list both times. This time I am last on the list and I am waiting to see what the original sketch looked like and see just how different (or similar) my layout is!

Here is my layout. I used the photos we took when we were picking out a place for The Royal Wedding to take place. It is coming right on up! 2ish weeks! I can't believe it.

Here is a link to the revel so you can see for yourself!
http://clubcreatingkeepsakes.com/forums/t/87618.aspx

And here is the original sketch. The scallops are the same! Sort of :)

Meet Flat Moongirl!

2011-08-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

The peeps at Club CK have been making flat me to mail around the country and attend each other's crops. I am going to a crop this coming weekend and we will be joined by peeps from all over the country! Well, the flat versions at least. I decided to get mine ready to attend one in St Louis in September. I can't be there, but I'm sure my flat version will create trouble and hopefully keep people laughing.

Here is what I enjoy doing in my spare time

This is the official version and you may call me Your Royal Highness when you see me dressed as this

POP! Goes the Present

2011-08-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Challenge: use an onomatopoeia (a word that is a sound) on a layout

Here is my second layout that I did for this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch. I also combined it with this week's Issue Challenge at Club CK. For the sketch, I flipped it over to make room for my journaling that moves right into the title.

I gave John a rather large sleeping bag for Christmas last year and couldn't find a box big enough for it. I stuffed it into this smaller box and then strapped it down with a tie down strap. I had him open it a little early because I was afraid it was going to bust out of the box! It was really stuffed in there.

So, I made up a little song, to the tune of POP goes the weasel, that goes something like this:
All around the Christmas tree
The presents wrapped so pretty
John pulls on the strap around the gift
POP! goes the present!

Again, a single page!!!

the sketch

Crazy!

2011-08-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

I really liked the Sketchy Thursdays sketch this week. I actually made two layouts with it. You will see the other one tomorrow ;)

For this layout, I scrapped these three photos of my family. They never cease to make me laugh and they are always being hams in front of the camera. Sometimes it is hard to get a nice photo! This group of photos just make me smile because this is what they really are!

I punched out the yellow piece in the middle, flipped it over and punched the other side to match and then I used distress ink to get the color and then took a fine black marker and outlined all the edges. I really like how it turned out! And it's only one page!

The sketch

The Twins

2011-08-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Summer Blog Hop!

You should have come here via Amanda's blog If you are lost or just tuning in here, start out at Amanda (Okgirl's) blog Thanks Okgirl for organizing another fun sketch blog hop. Along the way you will get to see what a group of us, a pretty large group, have done with a sketch that Amanda designed herself! I hope you enjoy hopping your way through all of our sites. I will draw one random comment, who's author is a follower to win a prize :) Be sure to link up your own creation on Amanda (Okgirl's) blog in order to be in the running for the grand prize!

I actually really enjoyed this sketch. There is a simplicity, yet great texture in it. I chose the photos of a hike we did at the end of last summer. I woke up feeling a bit queasy, but sometimes I do first thing. I usually feel better as I get going. So, I went forward; had some oatmeal. Halfway through, I decided I wasn't ready to eat. We went ahead and hit the trail. About a mile up, it became clear that I was getting sick and really not feeling well. It was a beautiful hike and I said I could go on. We got near the end and to a pretty serious uphill section. By now I was really not feeling well. John trucked right on up and waited for me to just take my time and go slow. He even shouted encouragements down back at me. Really the view from the top was so worth it! Just stunning. And it was a gorgeous day. He tried to get me to eat a little. I think I had 3 bites of PB&J. I ended up sick the rest of the weekend.

It wasn't a bad experience though. I would really like to go back and hike it again. Parts of the trail reminded me of something out of Lord of the Rings. John and I really enjoy the hikes we take together. Oregon is so beautiful and we are just sharing time together in this beauty!

Of course the sketch is a one page sketch and I have turned it into a double page layout! I really do like double page layouts the best; plus I enjoy adding to the sketch and making it more. I would like to gain in skill in this area.

Be sure to create your own layout with this sketch and link it up with the Mister Linky at Amanda (Okgirl's) blog Now hop on over to Cassie's blog

The double

The sketch

His Very First Car Buy

2011-08-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to do this week's sketch because I have been really busy and I participated in Summer Camp at Club CK; which took a lot of my scrap time. I really liked this week's sketch though and I dreamed about this layout, so I went ahead and made it. It didn't take long. The photos are all the same size and I replaced the paper circles with painted blocks. I added paint spatters too. I think it goes well with the photos with the rusted out train cars.

Bryon recently bought his very first car (the other one he drove was ours that we bought for him to use). He now is building credit and growing in responsibility as he has car payments that he needs to be on time for and be sure to go to work so he has the money for it. He is becoming a man!

The layout

The double

The sketch

Hike Mini Album

2011-08-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Make a family vacation mini album at Summer Camp at Club CK

I won this cool Maya Road mini album months ago and knew I wanted to use is for John and I, I just didn't know for what. When we were issued this challenge, I immediately thought of all the hikes we take and knew this was just the thing for my album. I love our hikes together! We get to spend time with each other in one of the most beautiful stated in the nation! We have seen such beauty and trekked such fun trails, that I wanted to showcase this for all.

The album was blank chipboard and I covered it in My Mind's Eye paper and used almost all coordinating embellishments. I did use quite a few Stampin' Up rub-ons too. They seemed to go well. To create pockets for hidden journal tags, I just cut a small envelope in half and taped to the back side of the photograph.

The badge

The Dress

2011-08-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Challenge;
use coffee filters on your layout

I'll admit it, when I was reading what the projects were going to be for the different days of Summer Camp at Club CK, I was least excited about this one. Then I saw what someone did with the filters and thought they would be perfect for the layout of Kayla's wedding dress for her album. The filters made wonderful ruffles! You first cut out the center, leaving the ruffly edge. Then you cut out a small section so you are left with a more than half circle. Next color or otherwise decorate. I made a glittery spray mist using pearlized water. Then you scrunch up the filter until it forms the ruffle you are looking for. I added a ribbon and pearl waistband and gems to the "fabric". I also used a Sketch Support sketch.

The badge

Tire Mt.

2011-08-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Use colored pencils on your layout

The Challenge:
Use eyelets on your layout.

I have to say that this is not one of my favorites. I am not really an artsy kind of scrapper. I can't draw to save my life either! This looked really cool in my dreams. Yes, I do dream about layouts, doesn't everyone? I used the eyelets as the start of my rainbow and the main part of the rainbow was done with water colored pencils. The rays of the sun and the vine are as well. I used a SLS sketch for the left hand side of the layout. It is really much more of a buttery yellow in real life. Don't know why it turned out sort of tan.

I scrapped our hike up Tire Mountain. There were so many pretty little mountain meadows along the way! It is a pretty popular mountain biking trail too so we had to wait for groups of bikers to go by several times. You wouldn't get me on a bike on this trail! There were many spots where the trail was very narrow and the drop so steep! I would have been found at the bottom of a ravine since bikes and I don't get along very well... It was a gorgeous day the the trail was beautiful and I can see all of it quite well from the bottoms of my feet!

The badge

The sketch

Friends

2011-08-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Use at least three different layers with different textures to mat your focal photo and use song lyrics

The Challenge:
Make your journaling end in your title

This layout was done for the second day of Summer Camp at Club CK. I picked this layout because I thought the photos went really well with the lyrics to this song "That's What Friends Are For". It's all about friendship. How we are there for each other, no matter what! Even when we have to say, "Good bye" for a time. This is from a gathering of the women at our church who came together to say farewell to our really good friend who was starting a new adventure over 2000 miles away. It was a testament to how much she means to us and how we all care for one another. It IS what friends are for! It was a gorgeous night, the first one all month!

I let the lyrics be my journaling and the word "Friends" became my title. The photo with all of us together was the most important to me, so I used it for my focal photo. I like the different textures. I used and embossing folder, a scrunched up piece of tissue and a die cut, lacy heart piece of paper. I offset them so you could enjoy each layer as its own and as a whole.

The badge

Dark Pond - The Double

2011-08-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

Bet you thought I did a single page layout recently here. Nope! I just only had time to get the one side done, photographed and posted before the deadline. I finished the second page later that night. Here is my full layout from the CK Summer Camp "use wood grain and natural elements in a layout" challenge

Dark Pond

2011-08-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Use wood grain paper or other natural elements on a layout

Whew! It's a busy week over at Club CK. It is summer camp and I am stuck at work most of the day! I am trying to get as much done this week that I can. I also like the Sketchy Thursdays sketch this week and wanted to do that as well. So.....why not combine?!? I have been wanting to use this Tim Holtz embossing folder of bark grain for a while and I thought that this is the perfect time. I went out in the yard and found some sticks too :)

Here is my layout

Here is the badge I earned for completing today's challenge

Here is the Sketchy Thursdays sketch that this layout is based on.

Hay Fever Festival

2011-08-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Use the blank space on a sheet of letter stickers or die cut letters to trace your title.

I needed to get my Hay Fever Festival photos scrapped so I chose to do them for this challenge. I like the look of the letters for the subject; it adds a great touch for the subject. I decided to trace just the first letter of each line in my title for this challenge. I liked the look of the letters for this. They are really cool letters too! I guess this is a good way to be able to use them more than the one that is on the sheet. I also love the look of the stitching template I used and the cobwebs and spiders.

Fabulous Baker's Twine Giveaway!

2011-08-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

Whisker Graphics (you just gotta love that name) is giving away some really cool baker's twine. Check it out!

http://whiskergraphics.com/blog/2011/07/brown-bakers-twine-giveaway/

Caipirinha

2011-07-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here is my Sketchy Thursdays 7/28 sketch challenge layout

When I went out to my mom's she showed me how to make this yummy drink from Brazil. You essentially, slice up limes, sprinkle with a generous helping of powdered sugar, mash in a glass, add rum and crushed ice, mash some more. It was very yummy and kind of pretty. I took these "how to" photos with my phone. They went very well with the tostadas too!

The sketch

And my whole, two page layout! Cause, I love doubles!

Costume

2011-07-30T19:54:00.001-07:00

I did this layout for the Frosted Design Sketch A Long Tuesdays.

John and I were able to help out for the Hay Fever Festival with out church last Fall. It is so much fun to go and see everyone dress up. All the kids come decked out in their dress up finest and a lot of adults too! We have a big 'ol carnival with games, food to eat and petting zoo. John ran one of the booths, Fraidy Cat, so he dressed up as a rat. I was the photographer, but the day before, I set up the box maze for the kiddies to navigate so I dressed up as a spelunker.

Here is my layout

And the sketch

Beach House

2011-07-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Use tape on a layout

We were supposed to use tape on a layout, but we didn't necessarily have to go buy special tape for this. I did my first entry with some tape that I had, but forget to use. I was working on this layout right afterwards and thought that the little signs would look good "taped" on. I just used some 1st aide tape from the cupboard, nothing special.

OMSI

2011-07-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

In the Spring of 2010, the Jazz Band that my son was in submitted a CD of music to the Oregon School Board Representatives to be considered to be the featured jazz band for their annual meeting in the Fall. Well, they were picked! The band director thought he needed a few of the recently graduated leaders from the 09/10 Jazz Band to be represented at the performance and me as well, as the retired Band Parent President. So, Bryon and I got up very early one Fall morning, made the trip to Portland and watched the current jazz band knock the socks off the attendees. They were recognized and one of them gave the introductions.

After the performance, we all loaded up and went to OMSI (the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) to play and learn. It was so much fun! It was a hoot to watch all these high school kids (and four college freshmen) jump right in and play! Even all the adults had a good time.

I chose to scrap this event using the current Sassy 'Lil Sketches sketch because I thought it worked well with my subject. I was trying to figure out how to string the gears in the border when it hit me, wire! I really love the look and added it to the strips in the middle of the page too. I know I will want to use it again!

My layout

The sketch

And everyone, well, most everyone knows that I love two page layouts!

Morning Beauty

2011-07-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Use tape on your layout. Either scrapper's tape or any other kind

I had had this decorative tape for some time and just forget to use it. It's nice when a challenge helps you do something you've been meaning to or have forgotten to do.

I used the photos I took while camping with a bunch of dog SAR handlers. We had had a big storm the night before with thunder and lightning and a LOT of rain! I woke up at about 5:30 the next morning and found the most beautiful day dawning! There was a mist coming off the water and the sunrise was gorgeous. I didn't want a bunch of added embellishments to take away from the photos so they are mostly confined to the strips at the bottom of the page. I used a Sketch Support sketch and a Bazzil stitching template. The tape is the strips with the script writing. I cut the trees myself from coordinating papers.

Paddling

2011-07-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to visit my mom in Missouri this month. One of the things we did is paddle this pretty little river, the N Fork of the White River.

It is in a conservation area and is one of the prettiest places I've been! It was supposed to be very hot and humid so we got an early start. We had arranged to rent a kayak for me and to have a drop off 10 miles or so upstream. The morning was just stunning! There were so many turtles and birds along the way. There were many places with cool rock walls and trees with hanging vines. There were also several underwater spring areas where the water was turquoise and cool enough that it made a breeze. It seemed like we were paddling in the tropics with all the vegetation and sounds of birds and cicadas. The water was fairly calm with small rapids placed often enough that it was exciting.

I had my cell phone with me (in a dry bag, of course) and took a few panoramic photos along the way and my mom had a small camera with her to get more photos. I took the feet photos with my phone. The rest belong to my mom and are copyrighted.

I thought the long, vertical panoramas would work great with this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch and I went ahead and added that second page too :) I used mostly Bo Bunny's Flower Child for supplies.

The sketch

My page

The full layout, because I am a two page kind of gal!

Where's Waldo?

2011-07-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was taking photos of the marching band playing during football games last year. Bryon was one of the techs and was helping out at all the games. I was uploading photos the day after one of the games when I came across this photos of Bryon staring right back at me with bugged out eyes. I had been standing at the edge of the circle of kids while they talked about how their halftime show went. As soon as I saw Bry, I burst out laughing! Bry heard me from his room and shouted out to me, "You looking at the post show picture?" I assured him that I was and he told me that he had seen me getting ready to take the photo and couldn't pass up the opportunity. What a ham!

I chose to scrap these photos using the Frosted Designs Sketch a Long Tuesdays sketch. It worked perfectly as while my son was involved, he wasn't center stage so the View Master digi frame was a good way to subtly add more photos of the season.

The sketch

And my layout

PIR

2011-07-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Use arrows to bring both motion and direction to your layout

I honestly was going to skip scrapping these photos. They did not speak to me, I had no idea what to do with them, there is a lot of grey and not any faces either. This challenge gave me a great idea of what to do with them! I wanted the circular arrow around the title to mimic the race track. I used a sketch from Allison Davis' new sketch book #8. There were two crossing lines of paper on the left that I replaced withstitched arrows. I then added the bolts and washers to complete the auto feel.

The cars were built by my son and his friends for a school class. Teams of students design, build and race these cars that run on two batteries. They race them, not to see who goes fastest, but who can go farther the longest. They get one hour to see how many laps they can get (or until they break down or the battery runs out). It is kind of funny to see these cars just crawling along by the end of the hour! He and his team placed third in the State for the 2010 season! For this race, they were able to race on a real race track in Portland. It was a weekend event and they camped in the infield.

Cedar Gap

2011-07-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

I just got back from spending 10 days with my mom in Missouri. On my last day there, we tried out this little trail near her house. She lives at the foot of the Ozarks (sorry, I just can't call them mountains as I live at the foot of the Cascades) and the trail takes you to the headwaters of three creeks. The water was down for the most part, but the forest was beautiful (I am still trying to wrap my brain around a forest with no conifers) and there were many pretty little flowers and butterflies. I had some cooperative models and got some fun photos of them :) I love the Tarzan vines all around too!

I decided to use this layout for this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch. I had more photos I wanted to use so I made the one photo in the sketch bigger and added the strip at the bottom. And most of you know that I love 2 page layouts, so I made a second page to go with it!

The sketch

My take on the sketch

The whole 2 page layout

I Am Worthy

2011-07-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

0This is day 5 of my I Am Worthy project reveal. Today's words are Friendship and Talent. If you would like the whole project explained, visit Amanda's blog at lovejoypaper it is a very worthwhile project.

For Friendship, I found a photo taken with me and some of my friends. While I consider my husband my best friend, having girl friends is so important! I cherish mine and think they are the best!

I had a hard time trying to come up with something for talent. I think I do a lot of things well, but I am really talented? Amanda told me to use my jewelry making as it all comes from me; I don't use patterns. I do think I have an eye for color and design

I Am Worthy

2011-07-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is the conclusion of my I Am Worthy project. I rather enjoyed it! It was also the first mini book that I've made. We wrapped up by declaring that we are worthy;
worthy to be loved
worthy to have peace
worthy to be forgiven and give forgiveness
worthy to have joy
worthy to be creative
worthy to have friends
worthy to be thankful and have things to be thankful for
worthy to know that we are beautiful
worthy to be ME!

These photos are of the end of my book, including this list.

I Am Worthy

2011-07-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is the last two words from my project reveal. Beauty and Worthy. If you would like to see the whole project directions and download word frames, visit Amanda's blog at lovejoypaper

I admit, I struggle to see myself as beautiful. My smile is crooked and my face is funky and I am not as skinny as I would like. This made me take another look at beauty and where I am beautiful! I chose to use a photo of myself so that I can change this mindset.

For Worthy, I chose a photo of my Bible. To me, I am worthy because I have been redeemed.

Alley Mill

2011-07-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

While on vacation at my mom's, we went to Alley Mill and Spring. It is inside the Ozark National Scenic Waterways system. It is a cool, old place that has lots of old milling equipment that the ranger let us photograph. He even opened up one of the pieces of equipment so we could take photos inside. The mill was run by an underground spring and the water was the coolest color of turquoise!

We had to wait out a late morning thunderstorm before we could go and it was well worth it. The storm was pretty cool too! Lots of rain, lots of lightning and thunder right over us! When we got home, there were more storms building too.

I Am Worthy

2011-07-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

The next two words on my I Am Worthy project reveal are Hope and Creative. You can see the whole project on Amanda's blog at lovejoypaper

Hope is something we all so need. I chose the fact that the sun rises and sets and rises again. Tomorrow will be a new day and Heaven is in the future.

For creative, I chose a photo of a scrap project. I get so much joy when I am able to create. For me, it is better than therapy!

I Am Worthy

2011-07-07T07:00:00.001-07:00

This is day three of my project reveal. If you would like full directions, visit Amanda's blog lovejoypaper

The next two words were Joy and Thankful.

I chose this photo for Joy because of the bright, cheerful colors and the fact that they were dancing in the wind. They remind me of the sheer joy of a child when something so completely captures them

I have so much to be thankful for! I chose this photo because it includes two of the reasons I have to be thankful; my family and the beautiful place in which I live

I Am Worthy

2011-07-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to my I Am Worthy project reveal. This is day two of my reveal and I will show the next two words. We were to find or take a photo that showed what a series of words meant to us for the project designed by Amanda at lovejoypaper Hop on over and see if it something you would like to try.

This is the picture I chose for forgiven. Fresh, clean, crisp and beautiful!

This is the picture for peace. Doesn't it just make you want to sit back and soak up the peace and quiet? It really was very peaceful there.

I Am Worthy

2011-07-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

I just finished a project designed my Amanda at lovejoypaper. She had us make a mini album that helped us think about our worth and what was worthwhile to us. She gave us 10 words. We were to find or take a photo that expressed what the words meant to us and then we were given journal prompts to help us journal about each. The next week or so I will be sharing my book and the photos I used to symbolize each word. If you are interested, head on over to Amanda's blog and search out the I Am Worthy project. She has the words, the overlay files and the journaling prompts there for you to use. I actually had a lot more to say than I thought I would. It was a really good exercise.

The front cover

The inside page and first word photo. The journaling is on the other side. I chose a loving photo of the man of my heart. I do love him so :)

Search & Rescue

2011-07-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Use a ruler in your layout

I got to spend a few days acting as a "hider" for a friend and her co-searcher so they could do a dog training. I would take my trusty GPS, SAR radio, a bag of tags and hit a trail. I would leave little clues as to where I went so they would know if their dog was on target or not. When I found a good spot to be lost and hurt in, I would set down with a book and a snack and wait for the dog in training to find me.

What fun! I had never done anything like this and I really enjoyed it. I laid easy trails for the dogs just learning and harder ones for the experts (they all need to work on their skills!) My friend said that they need to do these "fun" finds also because in reality, when you go on a real search, mostly likely you won't be the ones to find the person and you need to remind the dog that this is fun!

My friend's dog, Joey, seemed to really like me. Either that or he didn't have much hope for me, lol. I think he knew I was going to get "lost" a lot so he stayed close to me; followed me wherever I went! I think he was just trying to save himself work later on ;)

My favorite "hide" was when my friend said she wanted a longer hike with some bush whacking involved. So, I head up the side of the mountain, through all the brush and up onto this ledge where I could see them work the trail. She was worn out by the time she got to me. I guess Joey drug her up that mountain so fast she said it was like water skiing without the skis or a boat. And she said she kept passing over the lovely little trail and wondered why I just didn't take it. She said bush whack! We kept going up and came to an incredible view of the Three Sisters! That is me with Joey in the bottom left photo on the right hand page. He wasn't about to let me out of his sight ;)

Snow Day

2011-07-03T07:00:00.001-07:00

My entry for the Sketchy Thursdays sketch

After a really busy, difficult few months, they were calling for snow and the people at work really needed a break, so we decided to take Friday off. The snow did come, not as much as they were talking about, but it was sure a beautiful day. My friend called me up and asked if I wanted to go for a walk. The sky was so blue and the snow so pretty and it was crystal clear. I had a great day off!

The sketch (it's a two pager!!!!)

And my layout

Summer Storm!

2011-06-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

I decided to do the Frosted Designs Sketch challenge this week and because two sister I know just became designers, it is extra special to me! Congrats to Kelly and Erin.

I chose the photos I took last summer when I went camping with a friend during her dog search and rescue training. I was going to be a hider for all the dogs to try and find. We set out the night before to get camp all scoped out and set up. Not long after we got there, this huge storm rolled in. There was lightning striking down awfully close to where we were so we went and sat in the car. Two adult, two teens and a German Shepherd! The storm center was right over the lake where we were setting up and it just swirled around for hours! It got mighty hot in that car! Suburban actually, but still! We were watching the lightning hit the ridge just on the other side of that small lake and, boy let me tell ya, it was close!

By the time it stopped long enough for us to get out, it was dark and it was raining HARD. We got our tents set up and then we had to dig trenches around them so the water would be diverted around where we were trying to sleep. It rained... all... night... long! The blessing in that is the dawn broke with such beauty and the mosquitoes were washed away! Yay!

Here is the sketch

And here is my take on it. Notice the rotation on that cloud! And lightning was striking on the other side of the lake! Yikes!

And where would I be without a second page ;)

One Day 6/25/11

2011-06-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Whew! I am very tired today. I didn't get a lick of scrapping in this weekend (but I did take around 275 photos!) because our church did an outreach work party for one of the local elementary schools in our community. It was a school that needed some love. Our Pastor asked the question, "If we had a 100 people sign up, what could we do in one day?" He went to the school that is just two doors down from where he lives and asked if they had any needs and would they like us to come. Boy, did they have needs and they were overwhelmed by the desire for people to come work for a day. We had 140 people from our church sign up, a second, Spanish speaking, church sent people and teachers, administrators and a couple of families from the school also showed up! We did so much. The answer to the question, "How much can we do in one day with all of us working together?", is quite a lot! We did all the outside landscaping, painted a lot of the exterior (the places with graffiti and sun damage), painted the playground structure, re-painted all the parking lines and playground lines, re-painted a map of the US that was almost gone, fixed a planter and landscaped the courtyard, planted new plants in an overgrown area, painted flower pots and gave flowers to the surrounding neighborhood. We will go back right before school starts and spread bark and spruce things back up for the kids.

Here is the story the news crew did
Malabon Clean-Up Story

And here is a slide show from my photos
One Day 6/25/11 Photo Show

Thanks for looking. I can't wait to be able to scrap the day!

5 in 1

2011-06-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, I just used a layout for 5, count 'em 5 challenges! It was a great week to do this since it is crazy!

The Challenge:
Make a layout based on a favorite book or author

I used Seuss. Who can not love Seuss? And I thought the title fit perfectly for the subject

The Challenge:
Use one of the quotes, titles or journaling ideas in the back of the May/June Creating Keepsakes mag

I thought the quote from Walt Disney - All our dreams can come true...if we have the courage to pursue them. was very fitting to someone realizing the end of that pursuit.

The Challenge:
Use cream, red and gray

I actually thought the colors went perfectly with these photos. The reds in the photos are so vibrant that using the brighter cream and gray really let the pop!

The Challenge:
Use this sketch

I used the sketch for the left hand side of the layout. I just extended it in my mind and used that great photo my dad took of Kayla looking back at us after she sat down.

The Challenge:
I have been part of a layout lottery. We choose a number of layouts we want to complete in the quarter's time and post them as we get them done. I chose 50 and am now over 60!

And here is the all purpose layout!

Oh, The Places You Will Go

2011-06-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

This week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch was perfect for the photos of my daughter graduating from college. She graduated cum laude with a BS in Education. I am so very proud of her! I thought the Seuss title was the perfect one for the start of her future! I would like to thank my father and step-mom for taking the photos for me so I could just sit back and enjoy the day!

Here is the sketch:

And here is my layout using the sketch:

And where would I be without the second page?!?

The "Fight"

2011-06-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

I chose these photos to use for this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch because they sketch has a fun, playful feel to it and so do the photos. They were taken during my daughter's engagement photo shoot and they are just a playful look at conflict. The wife is always right, right? He ought to remember this ;)

Here is the sketch

And my layout

And all of you who know me so well, know that I am a two page kinda girl so here is the 2 page version!

Congrats Card

2011-06-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

I needed to make a congratulations card for a grad party on Saturday. I still had the mess out from making the Engaged layout so I just decided to use the leftovers to make the card. I even used elements from the sketch for the card. I found a really pretty sentiment on my Paper Lace Cricut cartridge too.

#1 Dad

2011-06-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Father's Day! I did. I worked on TRW (The Royal Wedding) invitations all day but I was at my dad's :) We had a nice dinner together. I did make him this card using a DCWV stack that I just picked up.

Outside of card

Inside of card

Engaged

2011-06-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Make your title using patterned paper

Kyle and Kayla just got their engagement photos taken and I just love them. They are just so cute together! I could not wait to scrap them so I decided to do it for this week's Issue Challenge at Club CK. I chose to use an Allison Davis sketch from one of the sketch books I got for my birthday. I love how it turned out. I had grouped the peachy papers all together quite a while ago because I thought they would go together nicely. I found the piece of brown in my stash and voila! I really like how the title turned out too. I used one of my long forgotten letter stencils to trace the letter on the patterned paper and then cut out around them, leaving a border. I like and will use that technique again

Winner and a Fave!

2011-06-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Imagine my surprise and my joy to wake up yesterday to find that one of the layouts I make for the 6/9 Sketchy Thursdays sketch won the random drawing for that week's prize! Not only that, but my other layout I made was chosen as a fave by their DT! I was so excited! Here is a recap:

This won the prize!

And this layout was chosen as a fave!!!!

Thanks to everyone over at Sketchy Thursdays

Engagement Photos

2011-06-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Kayla had her engagement photos done on Monday by the talented Peggy Iileen. She got the files for the shoot today! Fast. They are just gorgeous and I can't wait to scrap them. For those of you in the area, here is her website http://eugenephotographer.com/weddings.htm There are a couple of stories to be told there too :) Here is a preview to look over until I have a chance to scrap.

Chocolate Love

2011-06-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
Make an embellishment by pulling an element from your photo(s)

I chose to use the three photos from our Sister Chick Chocolate Potluck. I brought my camera to take photos, but was totally sidetracked by Bunco and never took any more than these three! Well, you know women and chocolate. We had a feast this night and we partook while playing fun games. I chose to make a cupcake embellishment to match the fancy tray of cupcakes in one of the photos. And to think, I was just not in a very good and I almost didn't go! Thanks, K for dragging me there.