Walker Races

Saturday, December 28, 2013

For some reason, I decided to give myself a goal this month and do 15 LO's. I figured with 2 weeks of winter break, I'd have plenty of time to play. Boy was I wrong...Oh well, so far I have 6 finished and one more week to go.  At least I am making progress.  I'm also getting to participate in some challenges, which makes me happy too. Today I am sharing a page I created for the crossover challenge with Scrap Our Stash and Sketch n' Scrap.  It's a sketch and also a stash challenge, to use at least 2 border punches and at least one additional punch as well.

Here is the sketch...

...and here is my page

These are very special photos to me. This was such a great day. Full of laughter and smiles for everyone. My son has always wanted to be like everyone else. It was incredible to see his reaction when he saw someone else using a walker like his. Great Grandma was just happy to see us. But I think walking around with him was something indescribable for her though.

Believe it or not, I'm still working my way through the Citrus Twist Kits I received for 3 months.  I liked these 'light' and cheerful papers. They share the feelings in the photos.  I cropped my 4x6 photos down to 4x5 and stretched out the entire sketch to accommodate the size of the photos.  I used 3 different border punches on the strips under the photos, and a corner rounder punch on the photo matte.  The holes for the twine are a border punch. I LOVE that one!  I actually don't have a lot of shape punches.  I thought them to be limiting, and not worth the investment. Ok, border punches are another story though. I have about 8 of those and use them frequently.  I created small embellishment clusters and typed my journaling, which I rawly do. I had more I wanted to say, but limited space.  I popped up 3 of the embellishments to give some dimension, then added a few little bits and some mist splatter to finish it off. I'm very happy with the result.  

I made it in the knick of time to enter these challenges. Now lets see if I can finish off the other 9 in my own challenge!  Thanks for taking a look today. Check back again in another day or so.  I'll have a new post up soon!

Supplies:
PP-American Crafts, Webster's Pages
Twine-AC
Brads-Making Memories, Crate paper
die cut stickers-AC, Crate paper, October Afternoon
clip, washi-Citrus Twist
enamel dots-MME
Alphas-OA, Simple Stories
ink-Prima
Mist-Studio Calico




Tickets for 3

Monday, December 23, 2013

Well, we've made it this far into the month, there are only a few days left until the big day. Are you ready? Or just ready for it to be over? My December was super busy, as I'm sure everyone else's has been as well.  I did find some time to scrapbook. Not a lot of time, but just enough to get some pages finished for some challenges.

Speaking of challenges, here is my second reveal for ScrapStuff'z Inspired by.

The inspiration photo:


 Tickets for 3

First of all, I used sketch #109 from Inspired Blueprints.  I needed a little starting point to get my page going.  I liked this sketch because it had a lot of square elements, like the photo.  When I looked closely at our inspiration photo, I saw that everything in it is related to Christmas, in some way.  I also liked that the photos were overlapping and were matted.  That is how I got to my page. The photos are of us at The Nutcracker Ballet, which is also related to Christmas. I then matted the photos. The washi tape down the center gives them the appearance of being over lapped.

I also chose some design and embellishments from 123 Get Scrappy.  In this months grid, I have a lot of options. So you can look at this page and see the color green (paper), scalloped edges (misted background and tag over photo) and staples (attaching small red heart vellum).  The other way to look at it is numbers (in title), baker's twine (attached to journal tag) and Scalloped edges.  It all worked together to help me create a page I really like, that shares a short family story.

I'm glad you stopped by to see my creative view of our  ScrapStuff'z Inspired by photo. Please, come show us how you were inspired as well.

Supplies:
CS-Bazzill
PP-Chic Tags, Websters Pages
Washi-MME
Stencil-Fancy Pants
Mist-Studio Calico
Ephemera-Heidi Swapp and American Crafts
Alphas-Glitz Designs
Twine-Americn Crafts
ink-Colorbox
brad-Freckled Fawn
staples-Staples

If you build it...

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

HI there. I'm back with another Child's Play Challenges reveal.  Today, our inspiration comes from o long time favorite toy:

I think this is the best toy invented. A bucket of bricks + a child = imagination at work. Enough said!


We were fortunate enough to live near a LEGO store and would visit it when we could. We decided to go in December when it was decorated for Christmas. When we walked in to the mall, we were greeted by an amazing life size LEGO Santa in his sleigh. Later on,  these guys had a field day playing with the newly acquired treasures!

I used textured LEGO papers and embellishments in a simple design that could handle the amount of photos.  The black background had more impact than white. The photos are too busy to try anything else.  I think this was the beginning of my realization that I like to add humor into my pages.  

I hope you will come and join us this week over at Child's Play Challenges.

Supplies:
CS-Bazzill
PP-Creative Imaginations, Imaginesce
Tape-WRMK
Stickers-Creative Imaginations
Alphas-Thickers









Hugs & Kisses

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Oh, I got the bug yesterday!  Between an early Hanukkah, timed with Thanksgiving and then straight into Christmas....I haven't scrapped just for me in quite a while.  Yesterday, after I completed an assignment, I decided to continue to play. And it felt really good!

Last moth was so busy, I didn't get to participate in any of my favorite challenges. Well, today I am BACK!   Scrap Our Stash is one of met favorite places to play. The first challenge this month is to use a phrase from a subway art poster to do a page about family, and then use...photo corners!  And wince I'm out of my scrappy groove, I needed a design push. Let's Get Sketchy Week 2 sketch is what I used to get me started.


While looking for a different old photo, I came across these of me with my grandparents when I was about 2 years old. I've been having a lot of fun scrapping pages of my childhood. It's good to get the photos and stories down.  But it's even more fun to play with different colors and supplies than I usually do when I about my boys.

Photos of family? Check. Great sketch adapted to my photos? Check. Perfect title? Check.  Fun papers and pretty embellishments? Yes please! 

I've not been one to over embellish my pages. I like the supplies to complement my photos and not overwhelm them. However, I've recently come to really like using the "little bits" on my pages. Fortunately for me, there were lots of little bits and other fantastic embellishments in the Citrus Twist Kits I received this fall. As for the photo corners, they are not actually something I normally have on hand. I received these as part of a class kit from CKC.

Using a collection kit made all of this come together rather quickly. Having a variety of pretty little bits made the details come together nicely as well. The only thing I did not do, was add journaling. I think I will write something on the back of the page. I'm not sure what perspective I want to take.

Thanks for looking at things form my creative view.  If you get a chance this month, head over to two of my favorite challenges, Scrap Our Stash  and Let's Get Sketchy  and join in.

Supplies:
PP-Fancy Pants
Ribbon, sequins-Citrus Twist
Wood veneer-Studio Calico, Citrus Twist
washi tape-WRMK, Bella Blvd
paperclip, stars -Freckled Fawn
photo corners-Queen & Co
mist-Studio Calico




All About the Beard

Monday, December 9, 2013

Hey there. I have a fun page to share today. It's a reveal for both ScrapStuff'z Inspired by and also Child's Play Challenges.  Kinda crazy, but my page is a bit of both.  

We have a really fun photo to get you going at ScrapStuff'z Inspired by .  And the inspiration for  Child's Play Challenges is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!


How fun is that photo? Crazy lights everywhere. And what did I do with it? I went traditional! I don't often do Christmas pages at all. So, when I see Christmas lights, I think of Christmas and all the red, green and trimmings that go along with it. 

While I was thinking about Christmas, I thought about how my parents always let my sister and I watch the Christmas TV shows.  Rudolph was my favorite.  I actually identified with Rudolph. As someone who didn't celebrate Christmas, I always felt different too!   I came across this photo, and voila, a Christmas page inspired by both challenges! 



This is the first and only time my son ever sat on Santa's lap, so it's also the only photo.  It was at a huge holiday party at his school after an exceptionally special fall event.  We weren't sure what he would do. Would he get off, yell, cry? What we didn't expect, was that the would laugh, giggle, then pull the beard all the way off Santa's face!  We had to go help rescue Santa. Then our son tried to do it again! Needless to say, he enjoyed meeting Santa and we have a great story to go along with the photo


I only used scraps for this page in traditional red and green, but I accented with black and gold. I chose to use a black matte, so the colors in the photo would stand out. Red under the photo seemed to work best with the red in  the photo as well.  I did use 2 shades of green, darker at the edges of the page, lighter under the photo, for contrast.  The banner is a direct nod to the lights strut around the truck.  I loved the black chalkboard tape. It is such a stark contrast, it keeps the eye at the photo. I also dipped the edges in gold glitter.  A few added sequin sparkles and sprinkles of gold and green mist and that was pretty much it. 

Thanks for taking a look at my creative view today. Please join us over at ScrapStuff'z Inspired by and Child's Play Challenges.  Show us how you're inspired by our photos.
Supplies:
CS-Bazzill
PP-MME, Simple Stories, Fancy Pants, GCD Studios
Twine-Doodlebug
Tape-Fancy Pants, Darice, 
Tag-MME
Wood veneer-Studio Calico
Mist-Heidi Swapp, Studio Calico
Glitter-Martha Stewart
ink-Colorbox
Sequins-Citrus Twist Kits
Alpha-Lily Bee
White pen-uniball



My Favorite Things

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

If you are looking for the Scrapbook Generation Blog Hop, Please go here



Hi there. Welcome to the My Favorite Things blog hop brought to you by the creative team over at  Child's Play Challenges.  You should have landed here from Steffanie's Blog. If not, It's a good idea to head back over to Child's Play Challenges and begin from there.

Today we are sharing some of our favorite toys and such from our childhood, or a favorite gift given to a special child in our lives.

One of my favorite childhood memories is playing records on the record player in the bedroom I shared with my sister. At the times we got along, we had a whole lot of fun. One particular record comes to mind though.


Have you ever seen this? We played this record over and over and over and over...you get the idea. We giggled and laughed, we made up dances and movements, even special voices. A particular favorite song, especially of my sister's, was On Top of Spaghetti. I recently repurchased this album so I could share it with my children. Unfortunately, they didn't think it was as funny as I did....but oh the memories for me as I listened. I even remembered some of the words.

Hmm, so how was I inspired by this album you ask? I had a touch time coming up with something! I was looking for photos of someone in my family being tickled. Nope, couldn't find any. Could I use the animals? Perhaps. Not exciting me. All of a sudden, it hit me and I went to town.


I have a group of friends that I get to gather with for an annual scrap weekend.  We can get quite..ummm...silly at times. In these photos, all but one of us was wearing a pink shirt. We kinda planned that in advance and the joke was hilarious when it was finally realized.  The title and photos came to me at the same time.

Everything I used is from the Citrus Twist Kits I received this fall. I have to say, it was a really well thought out few months. All the papers and embellishments work together over the 3 months I purchased the kit.

The pink is pretty obvious, especially in these tones, but I think the brightness of the pink really speaks to the story in the page.  I added the feather because, well, feathers can tickle people. The rest if fairly neutral. 

I have a small prize to giveaway. All you have to do is be a follower of my blog and leave me a comment, including that information.  I will draw a winner Sunday Dec 8.  


Remember to follow along the guidelines from the Child's Play Challenges post to be eligible to win the prize on the blog.  If you need a reminder, here they are:

1. Visit each blog along the hop and leave a comment so we know you were there
2. Come back here when you are done and tell us that you completed the hop
3. Create a LO based on a favorite play thing (include a photo of it if you can or tell us what it is) and link up to our special "blog hop" linky
4. Very important!...become a follower of Child's Play Challenges
5. If you are on Facebook, like our page  https://www.facebook.com/childsplaychallenge

You have until December 24th to complete the hop and enter your LO for a chance to win!  We will announce a winner before the new year.


Thank you for stopping here along the way. Your last stop is Karen's Blog.

Supplies:
PP-Fancy Pants, Webster's Pages, American Crafts, Chic tags
Die cuts, Stickers, Alphas-American Crafts
Washi-Queen & Co
Mist-Studio Calico
Sequins, Feather, doilies-Citrus Twist Kits

Scrapbook Generation Blog Hop

Monday, December 2, 2013

Please go here for Boy Meets Girl Dec 1 reveal

Hi there and welcome to the SG Blog Hop for September.  You should have arrived here from Stephanie's blog.  If this is your first stop, you might like to go back and begin at the Scrapbook Generation blog and then continue to hop through each link. 

This is my third time participating in this blog hop. Each time I am absolutely amazed at how versatile these sketches are and how each sketch can look so different, from person to person.

Today I used a sketch from the 2 Page Sketches Volume 5. 

I had these photos from my son's birthday. I liked that this particular sketch allowed me to separate the two parts of the event, the cake and the balloons, while keeping the page cohesive.  I chose primary colors to play off the colors in the photos. I used numbers in the paper and journal tag to play off the age. I played around with embellishments, but still kept it simple. Several word stickers, repetition of shape and colors.  The stamped arrows create movement around the page.  I really wanted to see the photos.

Thank you for taking a look today.  If you aren't a follow of my blog, please follow me along my creative view. I post regularly about the adventures of my family. 

You can find the SG sketches in their books and as downloads in the SG store. A free sketch is offered every month in case you are interested in trying one out.

Next on the hop is Tasha. Please leave a comment on each blog and one lucky commenter will receive a free sketch bundle of their choice from the store. The winner will be draw on December 9th, so you have one week to leave a comment.

Supplies:
CS- bazzill
PP-October Afternoon, Basic Grey, AC
Wood veneer-Recollections, Studio Calico
Stamps-Basic Grey
ink-Colorbox
alphas-AC, Cosmo Cricket, EchoPark
Brad, tag, enamel dots & phrase stickers-MME

#Climb

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Please go here for the Scrapbook Generation Blog Hop

Good morning to you. It is Dec 1 can you believe it?  It has been quite a year in our family, full of events & adventures, struggles & triumphs, and lots of growth for all of us.  I can only imagine what next year will bring!

Seeing as it is a new month, that also means it's time for a new challenge for Team Boy at Boy Meets Girl.  Today, we have a sketch for you.


This was a totally fun sketch to work with, although I have to admit, it is out of my comfort zone. I like tilting my photos and elements, but I don't often use small photos. I had to figure out a way to put all of this together.


I did have these photos printed in 3x4. I guess I was waiting for the right opportunity to start experimenting with them.  Well, here it is.  My son was having the best time running up and down this hill. It was so fun watching him be a kid!  

I decided to turn the sketch so the tilt went downward, matching the photos. Then I chose an energetic paper for the background to help show the motion. Instead of the chevrons facing right and left, I went with one that goes up and down. I also reinforced the up and down using arrows, as embellishments as well as washi tape. 

Overall, I had fun creating from this sketch. It was a great way for me to try something new. I hope you will join us at Boy Meets Girl and give this sketch a try. 

Supplies-
CS-Bazzill
PP-Fancy Pants, AC
Washi-MME
Cork arrows-Fancy Pants
Wood Veneer-Sudio Calico
Sequins-Citrus Twist Kits
chipboard button-Queen & Co
Sticker & Alphas-AC
Die cut-Silhouette



Marine Science Afloat

Friday, November 22, 2013

I'm trying to get back to some regular posting.  This is a hard time of year for me. I, like everyone else, has many other things to do. Well, I'm making my best effort to keep the blog content coming! 

Today I am sharing my reveal for ScrapStuff'z Inspired By.  This month's inspiration is a replica of the original Mayflower.  


I found so many ideas from this photo.  The colors, the lines, wood, but ultimately came away creating a page about my son, his Marine Science field trip, and my thoughts on the day.


We are fortunate to live near the ocean. As part of the ecosystem studies, his class went on a Marine Science Field trip to learn about the ecosystem in the ocean. Fo my son, it was not so much about learning what his peers were learning that day. It was more about participating in the same activity as his peers, in his own way. He may not have been able to ask and answer questions, but he was able to touch the sea life, and watch the videos with them. He was able to socialize with his peers in an appropriate manner. For a day, he got to be like everyone else.

I took these photos in a moment when the rest of his class was not around. It was a quiet moment for him to get his bearings.  He loves looking at the water. He was so calm and engrossed.  I kept the LO feeling the same way by minimizing the design and products used.  I did use some travel and summer themed products that I had, but used them in a way that enhanced the mood as well as the theme. I love using spray mist. It was a great touch for this page as the water was spraying up form the boat, with droplets all over the windows.  The chevron tape creates a feeling of movement. The colors I took form his clothes in the photos, as well as the blue form the inspiration photo.

So there you have it. I love this page, in all it's simplicity, it has a lot of meaning.  We can't wait to see how you are Inspired by this photo as well.  You have until Nov 30 to link up your pages.


Supplies:
CS-Bazzill
PP-Fancy Pants
Stickers-Simple Stories and Fancy Pants
Washi-Echo Park
Wood Veneer-Studio Calico
Alphas-Fancy Pants and American Crafts



Fun Fall Blog Hop

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Hi and welcome to our Fall Blog Hop. A groups of online friends decided to throw this little party to showcase some of our favorite fall projects.  You should have arrived here from Robyn's blog.  If not, please go back to Mandi's blog to begin from there. 

I am doing something different today.  I have completed most of my scrapbook pages over the past couple of years.  I went through my books and pulled out all of my fall LO's.  I wanted to see similarities and differences from page to page.  But what I really wanted to look at was both how my pages have changed, as well as how my family has changed.  The funny thing is, the fall activities didn't really change.


This LO I created after taking one of my first classes at BPC.  I remember it being one of the first times I used a single photo, as well as using multiple fonts and a long title.  It's still one of my favorites, and no, I never found another photos of the boys playing in the leaves this year.

Now this is more like it! Our neighbor's tree always was the first to lose its leaves. The boys would wait until this Dad was done raking THEN jump in the pile. They would spend hours goofing around, burying each other and being silly.  
I tried my hand at creating a cohesive 2 page LO using design principles I was learning. Here I tried hard to have a visual triangle.

Another of my favorites.  Finally the leaves fell on our side of the street. He took his toy rake to help me make a pile to play in.  
I wanted to keep the focus on the photos and try using smaller photos. I created a photo collage and filled in the odd spaces with fall themed stickers.  The stitches in the top and bottom corners draw the eye to the center, the photos.



These three are from the Scrapbook Generation Super Saver Sketch Club last fall.  I love this kit in particular because of the way the embellishing came together so nicely.  I had a lot of fun putting them together and the papers were perfect for out fall outing to Honey Hill Orchard.  Each page is a separate part of the day.  Apple picking, choosing our pumpkin, and the petting zoo.  Can't beat that all in one place.


This was our first time going to an apple orchard in the fall, We chose Johanssen Farms. They have a complete pumpkin patch, hay rides, train rides, apple orchards as well as the barn sticked with cider, donuts, pie...you name it. We had such a beautiful day and we decided to make it a family tradition.

I played around with stitching and contrasting color. The colors in the photos were vibrant. I wanted to highlight them.  Looking at this now, I see the blue sky first.  I think if I were to do it over, I wouldn't choose the green background.


This is my latest fall creation.  These trees are all in my neighborhood. I've been wanting too take photos of the beautiful colors for a while. I finally had a sunny day and was able to do so. 

I printed the photos using a white border. I liked the frame.  I also used bits of some bark that I found on my walk underneath the round embellishments.  I used and layered bold print papers because I loved the colors in the tonal print. The title is a play on words, which is something I have found I do often in my titles.

Thanks for taking a look and following my journey through fall activities and layouts.  If you aren't already a follower, please follows me! I post regularly about my crazy family life. I promise you'll find something humorous in every page.

From here you need to go see Laurie's blog. Thanks for hopping with us and I hope to see you stopping by again soon.


Curious George

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Good Morning! It's Wednesday and that means its time for a new challenge at Child's Play Challenges.  This week we are sharing the Classic Book Challenge: Curious George



I love Curious George.  I think he's funny.  Oddly enough, we call our younger son Curious George sometimes....


One minute he's playing by himself. The next, he's wandered off to see what he can get into in the kitchen...Curious George for sure...

It worked out nicely that the LO is divided. The left side, 'content', the right side, 'curious'.  I used a scrapbook generation sketch and minimal embellishing to keep the focus on the photos.

Come play along with us this week at Child's Play Challneges. We love to see what you create.

Supplies:
PP-Fancy Pants
washi-MME
Wood Veneer-Studio Calico
ink-VersaMagic
chipboard-Scenic Route
alphas-Simple Stories, Sassafrass
buttons-random

1,2,3 Puff!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Good Morning. Is it really November? Wow this year has gone fast. I guess I better get started on all those projects I said I wanted to finish before the end of the year.

Well, I have something to share today.  It's Classic Toy Challenge week at Child's Play Challenges. Today's photo is an old favorite:  Xylophone

Here is what I created.


I used the different sized strips down the left side of the page, like the different sizes of the plates on the toy. The background  paper made me laugh. It so suited the photos and the explosion of tissues everywhere, but it also made me think of the explosion of sound when a toddler is banging on the toy.

Keeping is short and sweet today. Thanks for stopping to take a look at my creative view. Now head on over to  Child's Play Challenges and play along with the Classic Toy Challenge

Supplies:
PP & stickers-Echo Park
Stickles
Alphas-Thickers
Staples-Making Memories



Color{Fall}

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Happy November! Wow, I can't believe it's November already. It's been a crazy year up until now, and I expect the next two months to be the same. But that's ok. At least it isn't boring.

Well, I'm going to show you something today that is not boring...We have had the most gorgeous fall here.  Not only was the weather beautiful, but the changing colors of the trees as well. The past few falls, I kept meaning to take pictures.

This year I finally had the excuse I needed to take the pictures.  The Boy Meets Girl November 1 challenge is all about FALL.  I'd been trying for about 2 weeks to get some good photos, but it had been really gray out. Fortunately the sun came out one afternoon, so I walked around my neighborhood and snapped a few quick photos.


I chose some bolder print papers because I liked the colors . These are something different from the usual small prints that I use.  I kept the design simple because of the prints, but also so the photos could be the focus. The small bits of paper underneath the embellishments is actually a piece of bark that had peeled off a tree. I wanted to use it on the page, but it wasn't big enough to use as a matte for the photos.   

Thanks for taking a look.  Come on by and share your Fall projects with us over at Boy Meets Girl

Supplies:
PP, stickers and frame-Basic Grey
Alphas-American Crafts
wood veneer-Studio Calico
ink-prima, colorbox
mist-Studio Calico, Tattered Angels

Experimenting

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Hi there. After an extremely busy week that left me with little time to myself, I was finally able to sit down for some much needed scrap time.  I finished up some DT assignments as well as a couple of pages for fun.

I'm experimenting by using Citrus Twist Kit club for 3 months.  This is a direct result of the BPC Art & Science class. Right brained people prefer to make their own choices.  I wanted to see if I could create pages that I like using products I did not choose for myself.  I will write up a review of my experience at the end of November, after I've received and used the Nov kit.

Well, I can say, so far so good. I did two pages yesterday. The first one, using some of the September Magical kit. Citrus Twist also has a blog with a sketch challenge. I decided to play along.

Your Favorite


I like that there are blues and greens in the kit along with all the pinks. I was able to create this page about my son and his favorite toy without it being too girly. I was even able to incorporate the use of the hearts to represent his love of the toy.  I could have recolored them if I wanted, but liked the contrast in color and how it helped move the eye around the page.

For the second LO, I used the October Celebrate kit. I am finding this one a bit more challenging to use, as some of the papers are theme specific and feminine, but I will find ways!  I love the embellishments so I know that will help. I can say, there is no way I would have ever bought the stickers and die cuts in this kit and I can;t believe how perfect they are for this page. I mean the cat and "still laughing"???

LSHI....(laughing so hard I...)


I got the design idea for this LO from another online Scrapper, Jennifer. You can find her original LO on her blog Midwest Scrapgarden, as well as many other ideas and wonderful projects.  She used all the strips from the bottom of patterned paper to create the burst.  I used some strips as well as some Washi tape to create mine. Some of the other ideas came from 123 Get Scrappy, chipboard, flowers and 3 or more photos. The turquoise heart is chipboard that I covered in ink and Stickles, and the flower sticker.  I saved and had the 2 memes printed on photo paper.

There is a long story that goes along with the photos.  I have not written it yet. It will either go on the back of this LO or on a companion page that has yet to be created.  In a nutshell, this is one photo of hundreds taken at an annual weekend crop.  In this particular photo, we were hysterically laughing while listed to...ummmm...forgive me, we have boys...silly fart sounds. We were tired, happy and in the moment, it just struck us and well, we were laughing ski hard we, snorted, cried and couldn't breathe...

Thanks for taking a look. I'll have more of my creative view in a few days. I'd love for you to follow me if you aren't already.

Supplies-Your Favorite:
PP-Carta Bella, Crate Paper, American Crafts, Echo Park, CS-Bazzill, Embellishments-American Crafts, MME, Alpha-Thickers, Mist-Studio Calico, Washi-unknown from CTK

Supplies-SLHI...:
CS-Bazzill, PP-Crate Paper, Pink Paislee, Washi-Glitz, MME, CTK, Die Cuts/Stickers-American Crafts, MAMBI, Dots-MME, Alpha-American Crafts






Hooray For Fall Blog Hop

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Hi there and welcome to the ScrapStuffz' Inspired by first ever Hooray for Fall Blog Hop!  We have a lot of fun in store for you, but first let's get a little business out of the way.

You should have come here from Laura's Blog.  If not, please go back to the beginning at ScrapStuffz' Inspired by and begin from there.

Once again, here is our inspiration photo and sketch for this project


Now, I just want to say, I was stuck for a while. I had great ideas, but kept forgetting I had a sketch! well, I finally came up with an idea and wound up taking a totally different route.


I completely stepped away from the fall elements of the photo and went with the chalkboard!  I love the look of the chalkboard trend, but haven't been really sure how to use it. I didn't think I would use  full pieces of paper so I bought embellishments-tags, tape and washi tape. I figured I could work those in easier.  I love the way the chalkboard items look on the kraft cardstock.  I used a doily to brighten things up as well as white chalk through a stencil at the top and bottom.  This all worked really well together because the photo was taken outside of my boys' school.

Before you go, I have a small prize to give away.  Please become a follower of my blog  AND leave a comment letting me know and I will choose a winner on NOV 1.

Thank you for stopping here along your way. You are almost finished! From here, please hop on over to Stacia's blog

Supplies:
CS-Bazzill
PP-MME
tape-Fancy pants, WRMK
stitch template-Bazzill
twine, tags & pen-MME
Chalk-Crayola
stencil-TCW
brads-MME, Making Memories
clip-AC
Alphas-MME, Thickers, EP
borders punches-Fiskars
mist-Tattered Angels, Studio Calico













Momo

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Hi Again. It's a double post day.  If you looking ScrapStuffz' Inspired by post, please go here.

I also have a reveal today at Child's Play Challenges.  This week is Classic Craft week, featuring wood stringing beads!


I used a lovely photo of my grandfather.  I just wanted to highlight the photo, so I chose some bright, colorful papers to do just that.


I used a literal interpretation by stringing the buttons through the twine.  I also scattered the brads around like beads rolling around.

Short and sweet today.  But please, join us at Child's Play Challenges.  We want to see the kid in you!  you have until 10/31 to link up your pages.

Supplies:
PP-Jullibean soup, unknown
washi-Queen & Co
brads-Making Memories
twine-Doodlebug
buttons-SEI and random
mist-Tattered Angels
alphas-Thickers



Silly

It's a two post day.  If you are looking for Child's Play Challenges post, please go here 

Hi there. It's my turn to reveal at ScrapStuffz' Inspired by...We have a lovely inspiration photo this month.

I have loved this photo for a long time.  It has so many beautiful details.  I see something new each time I look at it.  There is something about the light hitting the barn that says fall to me. Maybe it's  the color of the trees, even the colors in the photo. Maybe because it's red, I think of the red barns we see at all the apple orchards we've been to in falls past.

photo courtesy of Outdoor Scenics, photography by Allen Adler



I thought it would be easy to come up with a LO derived from this photo, but I actually hard a hard time getting started. I realized I was over thinking it.  I tried something different, and started by looking through my papers before I chose a photo. (another idea from the BPC art & science class).  I came across  some printed kraft paper and I knew that was the place to begin.  From there, it fell into place very quickly


The red on the kraft is what first caught my eye. It was kind of washed out like the red of the barn. Then I realized that there was green as well. As I was putting the page together, I saw that the shapes also mirrored the photo. The triangular shape of the roof of the barn, the squared openings in the front, even the chevrons as the hanging vines.  The kraft really picks up the natural colors in the photo as well. My subconscious was working overtime I guess.  (It also helps that another BPC art & science idea was to use 3 or more shapes harmoniously on a page).

So there you have it. Start to finish how I created my page.  I hope you will be as inspired by this photo as I am. THen show us how you were inspired by linking your LO at ScrapStuffz' Inspired by


The Devil Inside

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

A few weeks ago, while looking for some old photos I came across some others that I didn't even know I had.  I must be in the Halloween spirit (even though my boys aren't Trick or Treating *sniff*) because a title came to me right away and I HAD to scrap them.  Hmmm, they've been sitting on my desk since then.  I kept walking by them, threw a scrap PP over them, then a piece of cardstock under them, and there they sat.  Well, a terrific opportunity, presented itself (no, it wasn't free time) and the LO has finally been created.

The ScrapStuff'z Inspired by Design Team was invited to guest design at Sketch n' Scrap for their 10/15 challenge.  Here is the sketch we were asked to use:


and here is my page!


These photos are of my Dad from some time in the 80's I think. They used celebrate Halloween at his work. I have no idea how they fell in my lap, but finder's keepers and all that jazz...Like I said, the title came to me right away as did the flame stencil/gold mist, especially when I saw that was the Basic Training challenge over at SWAT!   Once I saw this sketch, the rest was fairly simple.  There is no other paper on the LO. It's all washi tape and ribbon, with a few scattered embellishments. I took a lot of creative liberty with the embellishing, but the photo placement stayed he same.  Over all a fun sketch and one that I could easily use again.

Be sure and head over to both ScrapStuff'z Inspired by  and Sketch n' Scrap

Thanks for taking a peek at my blog. If you aren't a follower, please follow me. I post regularly, but my stuff is far from regular. It's definitely my own creative view.

Supplies:
CS-Bazzill
Washi-MME, Queen & Co, unknown
Ribbon-unknown
mist-Heidi Swapp
Stencil-TCW
chipboard-Thickers
Alphas-Cosmo Cricket, Heidi Swapp, Thickers
3D embellishment-MME
bling-Hobby Lobby, Making Memories


Having some fun

Friday, October 11, 2013

Well, I just finished 2 classes in a row at BPC, Stashbusters Anonymous and Art & Science.  I have to say, those classes are two of the best I've ever taken.  As busy as I've been, they were a good excuse to stop and take a few minutes for myself.  I'm glad I did. I wasn't always able to keep up, but I got great new ideas, I tried new things, and I had fun.  I even created some new favorites.  Here are two of them.

This was a sketch challenge from the Art and Science class. I don't use a lot of smaller photos on my pages. I stick to my 4x6 photos for the most part.  I did not take a lot of creative license, because I was enough out of my comfort zone with the small photos.

Embellishment ideas came from Scrap Our Stash. They are using a tic-tac-toe board this month.  I chose to use washi tape, twine and decorative pins. I used a new border punch , then sewed the twine through the middle of it.  I love the feminine feel of the page, the floral papers supporting the subject of the page. Also something different for me.



This next one is for the final Art & Science challenge, creating a LO using embellishments in a visual triangle.  Athough the class has ended, I wanted to finish anyway.

As a result of this class, I joined Citrus Twist kit club for 3 months.  The theory being that I can stretch my creativity by using limited supplies.    The reverse theory is I'm not sure I'll like what I get so I don't use kits. Ok, challenge accepted.  

Again, my brain is on creative overload.  I needed a starting point. Sketches.  This one I landed on is October Week 1 at Let's Get Sketchy.

The kit arrived with a few things that no, I wouldn't purchase for myself. But after taking this class, I wasn't afraid of trying them.  I didn't look a them with my usual immediate thought of "nope, yuck, not going to happen".  Therefore, you see the flair and doily on my page.  I have more stuff from the kit. I'am actually looking forward to seeing how much I can do with it. Stay tuned, I may be on to something here....

Thanks for taking a look at my creative view today. Come back soon. I've got a lot of stuff I want to work on.

Supplies-Lovely Tulips
PP & Die Cuts-Crate Paper, Twine-Doodlebug, Punch-Fiskars, washi-Glitz, CS-Bazzill, enamel dots-MME, decorative pins-random, ink-Colorbox, Alphas-Thickers, mist-Heidi Swapp

Supplies-Just Chill
PP-Pink Paislee, Carta Bella, Die cuts-American Crafts, Fancy Pants, Flair & Doily-Citrus Twist, mist-Tattered Angels, Heidi Swapp, Alphas-MME, Thickers, wood veneer-Studio Calico, Washi-October Afternoon, ink-Colorbox, Prima, VersaMagic


Destructo Jon'z

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Oh, where do I begin today?  Hmm, well, how about today if the inaugural post for Boy Meets Girl challenges. If you were a fan of About a Boy or About a Girl, we have joined into one fun new challenge blog. On the 1st of the month, the Boy challenge will be posted. On the 15th of the month, you will see the Girl challenge. Same great fun and inspiring challenges, just a new name.

So, with that, I will share that today's challenge was about being messy and grungy. Perfect for boys, yet not so perfect for me.  I am not one that embraces the mixed media phenomenon very well.  Oh, I'll use some mist with a stencil, and splatter some paint, but you aren't going to find it layered over paste anytime soon.


I knew what photos I wanted to use right away.  Lucky for me, these photos were going to work well with the messiness of the page. I chose a black background because I thought it was better for effect.  I started y using cotton balls to swoosh the paint out from the center of the page. Then I used the chevron stencil to give it some more energy.  After I laid the photos down, it diet need a lot of embellishing. The paint did a great job of telling the story along with the photos. Just a few arrows, also shooting out from the center with some energy shooting off of them as well. Lastly, a bright yellow title that you just can't miss.  

Part of the idea for the design of this LO came from the Art & Science class at BPC.  Our prompt was to use a pocket to house photos that support the story.  Here is a photo of the LO with the other photos and journaling pulled out of the pocket.


As you can see, this isn't a one time occurrence...One of the things with this guy is he's very curious.  He likes to explore in his own way. I was putting laundry away, and well, my drawers are different than his drawers so she had to check them out.  I know sometimes he thinks he's 'helping' me, but I guess he didn't like my clothes in the drawers...Destructo Jon'z (pronounced Jones): destroys everything in his path.

Please come join us this month over at our new home, Boy Meets Girl.  We want to see how messy and grungy you can be too!

Supplies:
CS-Bazzill
PP-unknown
Paint & staples-Making Memories
Stencil, Mist, wood veneer-Studio Calico
ink-Colorbox
alphas-Doodlebug, Thickers
pen-Souffle
journal tag-Echo Park
paper clip-Target







Be(YOU)tiful

Friday, September 27, 2013

Yup. It's another page about me. My Mom has been on me to make a book about me. Well, now that I've started, I can't stop! It's fun togo between my childhood photos and new ones. And I will admit, my older son is having fun learning my stories.

Today's page is inspired by the BPC Art & Science class as well as Let's Get Sketchy's week 4 sketch. This class at BPC is amazing.  But it has my head spinning. The ideas and challenges are just that. Challenging.  Fun, but WOW.  Today at BPC, we are talking about color and I am to create a LO with neutral or muted colors. Colors that can go with anything.  I'm finding I can come up with the ideas for the pages, but not the design elements. Brain is on overload.  Thank goodness for sketches. I need a place to start. Enter Let's Get Sketchy.


I chose my photos and papers, but was blank on design. I liked the look of the week 4 sketch. It could be really versatile.  I flipped the design to the other side to accommodate the way I am looking in the photo.  I liked the die cut as the title, but felt the left side of the page needed something. I misted into the  background of the page with yes, a neutral color. For once, the effect was exactly what I wanted. LOL.

These are not colors I use often, pale yellow and grey, but it was fun to try something so different. What I noticed is that by toning down the colors of the papers, the photo really stands out.

I'll have a few more class LO's coming up. I hope you'll continue to stop by to see what I've made.

Supplies:
PP & die cuts-Authentique
Twine-MME & Doodlebug
Wood Veneer & Mist-Studio Calico
Stencil-Fancy Pants
sequins-Doodlebug
bling-Hobby Lobby
stamp-American Crafts
Ink-VersaMagic

 
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