Dance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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