Hey there! Catching up on some much needed blogging! I had the chance to play along with one of my favorite sketch challenges, Stuck?! Sketches. Laura creates the most beautiful and useful sketches. As usual, I couldn't use it as it is, I had to change it a little. That's another bonus of these sketches, They are so easily adaptable to all styles of scrapbooking!

All I did is reverse the image. My photos seemed to be oriented this way and it worked! My favorite thing about this page? The only patterned paper I used is the background. Everything else are die cuts, stickers and chipboard. Easy peasy. I might have to use this one again!

As long as I can remember, I have been a Ryne Sandberg fan. I know it has to do with being able to watch Cubs games in the summer. They were always day games. I followed his career, watching him get better and better. I'm pretty sure the first time I saw him play, was against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.  I was 17.  Needless to say, moving to Chicago and seeing him play at Wrigley was a huge thrill. Even better was attending the game when the Cubs retired his number, also watching him being inducted into the Hall of Fame. After many years of asking I finally received the only jersey I've ever asked for.   So yes, 23 & Me, and one of my children too, whose middle name, just might be Ryne...

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. I know its been a while, too long in fact. Stay tuned, I have more to share.

Supplies: PP, die cuts, washi-Bella Blvd, chipboard-Freckled Fawn, stickers-Freckled Fawn, Bella Blvd, Flair-Accent Scrapbooking, A Flair for Buttons and Freckled Fawn, Wood piece-Gossamer Blue, Alphas-Thickers

Party Like a Mother

Hey there and good morning! Well, I have to say its been fun having so much to share this week. I should do this more often! I'm up on the Stuck?! Sketches blog today share my version of our 9/15 sketch. This is also my last reveal. I've enjoyed my time and look forward to seeing what the new team creates!

Just Nick is one of our birthday celebration sponsors and I used the Flower Burst2 cut file, then stitched all around it. So, I greatly exaggerated the circular element behind the photos. I needed to mov everything around. My photo was facing the other way. This sketch is so simple but can be used in so many ways. I already have 2 other pages I could create with this sketch!

I have an incredible group of friends. We call ourselves "the squad". We get together almost weekly, for Happy Hour, and on this night, a movie. BAD MOMS.  Oh. My. Goodness. This movie was hilarious. We all laughed so hard. I used a combination of paper lines, having to do with daily life and GNO. They were perfect, and so was the evening!

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I have more creating to do which means more to share. Come back again soon

Supplies: CS-American Crafts, PP & Stickers-PhotoPlay, Echo Park, flair-Fancy Pants, enamel dots-Freckled Fawn, Must-Heidi Swapp, Cut file-Just Nick, Silhouette, thread-DMC, alpha-Webster's Pages

Stuck?! Sketches

Hey there! As part of the Birthday Bash going on at Stuck?! Sketches this month, things are changes around a bit.  Today I have a sketch to share with you, but you must head over to the blog to see what else is going on!

Remember, we have some incredible sponsors and prizes to give away this month.

Here is our newest sketch! Isn't it great?  I can't wait to show you how I used it! Stay tuned!

Now head over to the Stuck?! Sketches blog to see some amazing layouts inspired by this sketch and maybe even a surprise!

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today! Like I said, you'll have to stay tuned for my reveal, so please come back again soon!

Nani's Cup

Holy Moly it's September. How is the world did that happen so fast? Well, another new month means a new sketch challenge at Stuck?1 Sketches. We are celebrating our 3ed Anniversary and there are lots of surprises coming up on the blog all month long! 

First up today is our first sketch of the month.   Isn't is lovely?

 I loved using this sketch. There are so many ways I could have used this because it lends itself to all kinds of moods. I settled on a softer feminine feel to match the photo of the floral coffee cups.  I shortened the large paper strip and moved the small strip to the outer edge. I did that to make the page feel smaller. I also loved this floral circle doily cut file from Just Nick Studio, who is one of our sponsors this month! I layered it over the top of the photo. using pop dots to give it some extra dimension.  See that awesome flair? It's from Accent Scrapbooking, another one of our sponsors. The colors went with my page perfectly! Lastly, I moved the title a littleton exaggerate the cluster in the corner.

I really hope you join the party this month and celebrate with us this month. There will be so much inspiration! 

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. Hope to see you again soon!

Supplies: PP, premade die cuts, tags, alphas and puffy stickers-Fancy Pants Designs, cut file Just Nick Studio, flair-Accent Scrapbooking, enamel dots-prefer, mist-Heidi Swapp, Silhouette

Happy Day

If you are looking for the Scrap Our Stash Guest post, please go here. 

Hey there! Wow. Mid August already. I know in many areas school has started already. Not here. Not only dont we start until after Labor Day, but we are still waiting for summer weather to arrive! Well, regardless, we still have a new sketch for you at Stuck?! Sketches

Ohhh, I love this sketch so much! I can use it over and over and it will never look the same twice. Today I played around with layering beginning with the misted background I created using the JustNick Twilight Zone 1 cut file as a stencil. Next came some twine, vellum and a few pieces of paper. Lastly came the embellishment clusters. I started with the larger pieces, adding smaller pieces   of various shapes and textures. I added some journaling near the title and that was it. Did you notice that I flipped the sketch too?

Here I am making fun of myself again. Well, not really. I was celebrating. After surgery and 6 weeks in leg casts, my son got a surprise and they were removed a week early. I survived! Yes, ME. I survived the surgery, the recovery, the immobility, the driving to and from school, the additional lifting...all of it! I said I could handle it because it was 6 weeks for the rest of HIS life and I did. I knew it would be difficult and challenging and it was. So yes, it was indeed a happy day and I celebrated!

Join this sketch challenge for your chance to win a prize from our sponsors Lindy's Stamp Gang and ShopEvalicious.

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. Come back gain as I have lots to share

Supplies: CS & Alpha-American Crafts, PP, chipboard, die cuts, stickers, bradz & enamel dots-Simple Stories, twine-Doodlebug, die cut/stencil-JustNick Twilight Zone 1 , Silhouette, mist-Studio Calico, Heidi Swapp, pen-EK Success

GNO

If you are looking for Scrap Our Stash post, please go here

Good morning! Can you believe it's August already? Where is the summer going? Well, the good thing about a new month is a new challenge at Stuck?! Sketches. Here is our new sketch. It has so many possibilities!

Here is how I used the sketch. I chose a couple of horizontal photos so I flipped the sketch vertically. I shortened the background strip, but left the rest of the sketch pretty much the same. There are so many ways to play with this sketch, I had to stop myself from soloing more.

If you know me, you know I love baseball. So when a friend invited me and my son to go with her to a game, of course I said yes. Well, the invitation turned into a much needed Girls Night Out. We enjoyed a family free evening filled with, good food, wine, a great game and great company. 

Join the challenges this month for a chance to win prizes from our two sponsors Scrapbook Circle and Scrapmats. Please read the rules on the Stuck?! Sketches blog.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I hope to see you again soon, I have lots to share!

Supplies: CS-American Crafts, stamp-KaiserKraft, ink-Colorbox, Patterned Paper, Alpha, puffy stickers, flair-Fancy Pants, die cuts-Freckled Fawn, Echo Park, chipboard-Bella Blvd, Paper POP, Parker on the Porch for Paper Issues, mist-Heidi Swap

Well Done!

Good morning! Today is a great day! It's reveal day at Stuck?! Sketches as well as my younger son's birthday. So, with out further delay, here is the second July sketch. Remember that playing along gives you a chance to win prizes from our sponsors. See the rules for details. 

Would you look at that. I pretty much followed the sketch! I received a contest prize from American Crafts that included this collection. I don't usually buy fall/Thanksgiving themed papers, so it was a nice change to play with these colors. Challenging, but fun. I used a mix of patterns for balance. Then I swapped out one of the photos for a journal card and created an embellishment cluster around the title. Im in a stitching phase right now, so of course I had to add some to my page. 

I make Thanksgiving every year, and have for the past 25 years. It's my thing. I love having people over, and my door is open to anyone who has nowhere to go. But, I also haven't lived near family for the past 25 years, so someone has always come to visit me so I am not 'alone'. This year, I invited some friends over, and at the last minute, my sister came as well. We prepped and cooked for two days, without any arguing and had the most amazing Thanksgiving I can remember. 

Thanks for taking a look at my creative view today. Come back again soon. I have lots up my sleeve!

Supplies: CS & alpha-American Crafts, PP, die cuts, stickers, wood pieces-Imaginisce, doily-DoodlebugDesign, stitch template-Bazzill, thread-DMC

SaveSave

Badge of Honor

Hey there and happy July to you. Wow, I can't believe how fast the first half of this year has passed by. Well, new month, means a new sketch challenge at Stuck?! Sketches. Today we have for you a multi photo sketch. I found this one really fun to use!

I finally broke into these papers. I actually chose them before anything else. I don't usually work that way. But I wanted to use the frames, and I loved the idea of using the flower cluster on the paper.  At the same time, this photo was sitting near the top of the pile. It's personal, It all came together after that. But a story I wanted to tell. The 2 smaller photos go hand in hand with the larger one. The middle frame is filled with purposeful embellishments and a few of the inspirational word phrase stickers, some in pun. It's a very busy page, so I straightened out the sketch design, moved the title to the bottom, and omitted the additional background paper.

As I said above, this page is personal. I found this floating around Facebook one day. I saved it and printed it, not sure of my intention beyond tat. Having a child with special needs I can relate to every single sentence. Sometimes I need to remind myself that it's ok. That I'm ok. 

So come join the fist July challenge for your chance to win prizes from this months sponsors. 

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. I've got a good plan this month so come back again soon.

Supplies: PP, stickers, die cuts, bradz, frames-Simple Storeis, Alphas-Simple Stories, American Crafts, mist-Heidi Swapp

Caucus Day

Hey there! I know Ive been lacking on the blog posts lately. Eventually I'll get back up to speed. In the meantime, I have for you today the new sketch challenge at Stuck?! Sketches. 

This was a fun one for me. I generally use 4x6 photos and will adjust a sketch designed for smaller photos when I can. This sketch just didn't look right to me with larger photos.   It was a fun challenge to use smaller photos. I originally just had the larger rectangular paper instead of a circular element. i realized it was too angular and needed a soft edge. I chose a doily, sprayed some mist over it to get the shade of blue I wanted.  I really like the way this page turned out.   

I have never lived in a state that holds a Presidential caucus instead of a Presidential primary.  I didn't really know how it worked, but I wanted to participate in the 'voting' process. I found out that the caucus location, date and time all happened to magically align for me to attend, so I did! The process was interesting and I also learned how the political parties work in our state. The morning was educational, a new experience for me and fun because I bumped into a friend while there. 

Playing along gives you an opportunity to win prizes from our generous sponsors. Please read the rules on the Stuck?! Sketches blog.

$20 gift certificate

2 large pieces of chipboard

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I have lots to share, and lots to say, so come back again soon.

Supplies: CS, alpha-American Crafts, PP, chipboard-BellaBlvd, sequins-Studio Calico, Michaels, mist-Studio Calico, Tattered Angels, Heidi Swap, Doily-BoBunny, glitter-Martha Stewart,  Stitch Template-Bazzill, thread-DMC, 

Walk & Roll

Hello there and happy June!  Today I have a page to share using the new sketch at Stuck?! Sketches

Here is the sketch

Here is how I used it.  Once again, I used one of my favorite paper collections. My photo is facing the other direction, so I flipped the sketch. I moved around some and added extra layers of paper. I love this maze cut file from The Cut Shoppe. It made me think of him going all over the place. I always write a little bit on my pages, so I added some journaling and called it a day. 

This is his new walker and the first time he is using it. I had no idea if he would push it away, or take to it right away. He is always so unpredictable. Well, he loved it! If I could say he ran down the hallway, that's what he did. That walker has made a huge positive impact in his life. I'm sure there is more to come.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. Head over to the Stuck?! Sketches blog for more inspiration and to see what prizes are up for grabs from our sponsors. 

Supplies: CS-American Crafts, PP, die cuts, sticky brads, stickers-Simple Stories, cork tape-Recollections, alphas-Basig Grey, mist-Studio Calico, enamel dots-MME, wood piece-Gossamer Blue, ink-Colorbox

Rule the School

Good morning! Wow it feels good to be blogging again. Mostly because they also means I had some time to play.  So today I have for you the second May sketch challenge at Stuck?! Sketches

I love this sketch. I could have easily used one or even three photos if I wanted to. I chose to stick to the intended 2 photos. The papers and embellishments I selected are really busy, So I eliminated some of the layers in the sketch. For my page, the banners weren't necessary and I went with larger embellishment clusters.  This was a great opportunity for me to use the Scribble Scrabble and Boys Rule cut files from The Cut Shoppe. I deconstructed the 'rule' part of the file to create my title. 

My son won a contest at school with the prize allowing him to be Principal for a day. He was so proud he wore his bed tracker and dress shoes to school that day. He had several responsibilities throughout the day, including having lunch with the Principal in her office.  I thought this was a creative incentive for students and was thrilled he had the opportunity to do this. 

Join the challenge this time around for an chance to win prizes form our two generous sponsors. Please read the rules on the Stuck?! Sketches blog.

$20 Gift certificate

$25 gift certificate

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I know it's been a while. I'm getting back up to speed, so coma back again soon,

Supplies: CS- American Crafts, PP, die cuts, stickers-Simple Stories, enamel dots-Doodlebug Design, MME, alpha-Webster's pages, cut file-The Cut Shoppe., silhouette

Future Chef?

Hey there and Happy May Day! New month means a new sketch challenge at Stuck?! Sketches.  Here is our fantastic new sketch

Here is how I used it. I used the sketch pretty much as shown but I made the corner pieces much smaller. My photos aren't great and I thought the larger bottom piece might overwhelm them.  As smaller pieces, they give my page a nice diagonal flow, keeping the focus on the photos. 

So, I'm not really sure how this went down. I need to call my sister to find out is she remembers. It's either that we were baking cookies when my younger son tried to join us, so we gave him some flour to play with, or we gave him the flour to play with to see what he would do and not bother us while we were baking. Either way, he really liked playing with it. And the cookies were good too. 

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. Come back again soon, I have more to share.

Supplies: CS-American Crafts, PP-Echo Park, doily-BoBunny, Embellishments-Fancy Pants, Lilly Bee, Freckled Fawn, Pink Paislee, mist-Studio Calico.

Pinch Proof

Hey there! Can you believe it's mid month already? Well, All that means is there's a new sketch challenge at Stuck?! Sketches today.   

Another amazing sketch to work with. The beauty of this sketch is it's versatility. Again I used a 4x6 photo. All I did was enlarge the scale of the sketch. The general idea remains the same. I kept it fairly clean, adding my own touches by moving some of the embellishments around. But really, wow, was this fun and super easy to work with. I even was able to work in one of Laura's free cut files for the title. 

My son is such a character. He got it in his head he wanted green pants because green was hi favorite color. My sister had already sent him the green shoes, so why not? He had the perfect attire for St. Patrick's Day, or any other time he was feeling his green self. 

Once again we have some great sponsors. See the blog for rules and details. 

$25 GC to the store

2 pieces of chipboard, a $20 value

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. Come back again soon, I always have something to share. 

Supplies: CS-American Crafts, PP, stickers, die cuts, chipboard & brads-Simple Stories, ink-Versamagic, stencil-Heidi Swapp, mist-Studio Calico, pen-Ek Success

You Together

Good morning! Wow. April already. Works for me. April means we are headed towards summer. April also means the beginning of baseball season. Woot Woot! Well, April 1 really means a new sketch challenge at Stuck?! Sketches

I love this sketch. It gave me and opportunity to work on my layering and clustering techniques. You can also make it as clean and simple or as decorative as you like. I went the simple route this time.  I layered and tucked extra little bits all around the photo. Instead of the second photo, I used tags and die cuts. I created my own version of the embellishment cluster at the bottom, using it for my title.

This photo is from last fall when my Mom arrived for a visit. My younger son was so beyond happy to see her, he quite literally dragged her, while hugging her up the stairs. They have a special relationship and it makes me so happy to watch them together. 

There are a couple of prizes up for grabs courtesy of our fantastic sponsors. All you have to do is join  the challenges this month.  See rules on the Stuck?! Sketches blog.

win a stack of your choice

win $20 in kits

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I've got several more projects to share, so comeback again soon.

Supplies: CS-American Crafts, PP, die cuts, puffy stickers, tags & flair-Fancy Pants, twine-DoodlebugDesign, mist-Heidi Swapp, Studio Calico

Always Aunt Helen

Hey there and good morning! We made it past PI day to the middle of the month. That means it's time for a new sketch challenge at Stuck?! Sketches. 

Here is the new sketch

You have to know me well enough to know that, a) I use a lot of 4x6 photos, so b) I flip and adjust sketches to work of the photos I have. That is the beauty of Laura's sketches. They are so easily adaptable. They work for any style page with any size photos.  So yes, I flipped it on it's side once clockwise, but left the design alone. 

Just to show you how versatile this sketch is, I also stretched it out into a 2 page layout. I did the dame thing by flipping it on it's side, then connected the two sides by using the same paper in the middle. I still used only 3 embellishment areas.  This sketch could also easily become a 2 page layout just by duplicating it as it is. 

I know I promised no more baseball pages from this album, but I lied. However, these are the last two pages. That I can promise you. 

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I've got lots going on this week, so come back again soon.

1 pg LO supplies -CS-AC, Bazzil, PP-Echo Park, doilies & enamel pieces-Doodlebug Design, tags, Freckled Fawn, Jellybean Soupacrylic pieces-Freckled Fawn, Color Cast Designs, stickers-Lily Bee, Fancy Pants, washy-queen & Co, twine-Recollections, flag-Pebbles, alphas-Lily Bee, October Afternoon, punch-EK Success, stickles

2 pg LO supplies-CS-AC, PP, stickers, doilies, enamel pieces-Doodlebug Design, Dimensional stickers-Paper House, twine-Recollections, alphas-Thickers

Play Ball

Good morning! New month, new sketch challenge reveal over at Stuck?! Sketches today! Take a look at this sketch that is full of possibilities.

Yes, I made another baseball page. What can I say, I really wanted to finish this album! And, yes, I took liberties with this sketch as well. But that's the beauty of a sketch. You can make them work for you is you are feeling creative, or use them as is. I kept the design the same, but used one larger  photo. In place of the 2 smaller ones, I created larger embellishment clusters, both with squares in them.

I'm pretty sure this is the last page of the album. I'm finished. It's one of my favorite photos of the night. It;s proof we were there, that the party existed, that Momo was the guest of Honor. 

Thanks for stopping by amy creative view today. It's going to be a crazy month around here so come back often.

Supplies: CS-American Crafts, PP, stickers, washi tape-Doodlebug Design, enamel shapes-MME, Doodlebug Design, mist-Tattered Angels, Studio Calico, 

Momo and Me

Hey there and good morning to you! The first half of the month has flown by. But that's ok, That means it's time to reveal the newest sketch challenge at Stuck?! Sketches. 

This type of sketch speaks to me. I love the layers, the lines mixed with curves. I can use it as it extended to the edges of the page, or re-size it for a smaller photos and a portion of the page. It's so versatile. Today I used it as it was designed, but I flipped the direction to match the way we are looking in the photo. Those circular embellishment options screamed to be baseball oriented ;-).

This is a personal favorite photo from Momo's party. Everyone wanted time with him and he made time for everyone. It is because of Momo that we are a baseball family. It is from him that I learned my love of the game. 

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I'm gearing up for some big challenges in March. Stick around. If I'm not sharing much this month, I certainly will be soon!

Remember, if you play along with the Stuck?! Sketches challenges this month, you have an opportunity to win some prizes from our generous sponsors. Check out the rules on the blog.

Supplies: CS-American Crafts, PP, washi, doilies, die cuts-Doodlebug Design, stickers-Echo Park, Doodlebug Design, tags-Queen & Co, Twine-Recollections, American Crafts, enamel shapes-Bella Blvd, Doodlebug Design, spray ink-Studio Calico, Tattered Angels

Our World

Good Morning and happy February!  New month means new reveals for new challenges. First up today is the first sketch of the month at Stuck?! Sketches. 

I really like multi photo sketches. I am not one who edits and deletes photos very well. I tend to use more photos than necessary sometimes. This however, is not one of those times. For this page, I used 3 different photos to tell my story. Shortly after moving to Chicago, my sister and I visited the Adler Planetarium? Why did two sisters who have no interest in space make this happen? Because that's our name and we needed to take pictures by everything that said Adler. Dorks? yes? Did we scrapbook at the time? No. Im so happy I do now!

I started by enlarging the circle and made it more part of the foundation of the page. I did this because the paper was a literal part of the story. Other than that, the design of the sketch is pretty much intact. The photos aren't great, and are pretty neutral, but I don't care. That enabled me to choose colors that would make them stand out. The navy didn't, but the purple and teal did.

Join in the challenge this month for a chance to win prizes from out two generous sponsors. More details and rules are on the Stuck?! Sketches blog.

Thanks for taking  look at my creative view today. Come back again, i have big plans this month!

Supplies: CS-American Crafts, PP, flair, chipboard, die cuts-Basic Grey, enamel dots-MME, mist-Tattered Angels,