Well hello there!  It feels good to be back to regular scrapping and regular blogging.  I know my mojo isn't where I'd like it to be, but it's slowly getting there. That's why it was fun to create this particular LO for the Aug 15 reveal at About a Boy.  The newest challenge is Anything Goes.  I can even have a girl in the photo!

So that's exactly what I did. I chose a photo of my younger son and myself from a few years ago.

After a day in the pool, and dinner out, my Dad wanted to take my older son fishing in the pond. So I hung out in the grass with Little Dude. As tired as he was, he was just so pleasant and happy. At that time, he would rarely sit still, so for him to come sit in my lap was a treat.

The easiest way for me to get some mojo is to grab a collection pack. All the papers, embellishments and even alphas are all right there. No thinking involved, well, except which papers to choose...Anyway, I wanted something light hearted with a bit of whimsy, and this is what I came up with. I did use a stencil with mist as well as some gems, wood veneer and an extra journal tag & border. The rest is all from the same collection.  

It was nice to get away from my red, blue, yellow with buttons and do something a little different. Now let's see what you will come up with for the Anything Goes challenge at  About a Boy.

Supplies-

PP & die cut stickers-Basic Grey

Alphas-American Crafts and Basic Grey

Gems-Queen & Co

wood veneer-Studio calico

Date sticker-October Afternoon

border strip-Sassafrass

stencil-TCW

Mist-Tattered Angels

ink-Colorbox

pen-EK Success

Just for Fun

Yup, I returned from a weekend away, scrapping with my silly group of friends. I had a wonderful time and even got some LO's finished.  Ok, maybe not as many as I had planned...But, because I had everything put together in kits, it's been really easy to grab a kit and keep going here at home.  I had pretty detailed notes, including sketches and papers in my kits so I didn't have to pack as much and I could put them together fairly easily. These next two LO's are the results of these homemade kits.  Maybe I should put together kits more often!

This first LO is from our trip to St. Louis during Spring Break in 2008.  I subscribe to the Scrapbook Generation kit club. These papers are from one of my kits. However, I chose to use a different Scrapbook Generation sketch. Not papers I would buy for myself, but I challenged myself to use them, and use them I did. I can honestly say this is the first time I have used non-Baseball themed papers for a Baseball page! But they work!

I will also say that I am playing along with the very first challenge at 123 Get Scrappy.  When I first read the concept, I must have misinterpreted the idea. I thought the challenges were going to be 'grid' style.  Boy am I happy to say I was wrong. The challenges are more 'recipe' style. Today I used red, the 'free' space and Thickers.  I have to say, I had fun deciding which elements to use. I might even go play again since I can enter up to three times.

This next LO is my entry for one of my favorite challenge blogs to play along with, Scrap our Stash. Their first challenge this month is to use a Summer theme with 3 or more pre-made die cuts.  Ok, done.  Summer in my house means lots and lots of baseball. These photos are also from 2008 and although my son no longer plays baseball, it is my favorite sport, so I watch it all summer long.

I used another  Scrapbook Generation sketch, but my own papers.  I'm finding these sketches are easy to use and are helping me get pages finished faster. I used 4 die cuts and one CS sticker that came with the collection kit, as well as the scalloped border.

Thanks for stopping by today. Check back in a few days for the next About a Boy reveal.

Bush Stadium Supplies-CS-Bazzill, PP-Echo Park, washi-Doodlebug, Glitz, Queen & Co, Alphas-Thickers, Cosmo Cricket, Simple Stories, twine-Doodlebug, gems-Hobby Lobby, enamel dots-MME, foam shapes-Staples, other embellies-Sticko, Ink-Colorbox

Summer Scrappers supplies-CS-Bazzill, PP, alphas and die cuts-Fancy Pants, scalloped die cut-MME, ink-colorbox

It Tickles!

Good Thursday to you!  Do you know what that means? It's reveal day at Sketches in Thyme.

I like this sketch. It is fun, versatile and easy to use. It can be flipped, you can use smaller photos, even more than one photo.  I pretty much left it alone.  Here is my LO:

I chose to use this 4x6 photo, which has been has been sitting in my 'to be scrapped' pile for a while.  That meant widening the patterned paper. Both the photo and the PP I chose are busy, so I decided to matte the photo as well. I tripled up on the circle elements to add some depth and dimension. using the brown and wooded embellishments gave it a more outdoorsy feel. The tape near the title also helps the title to stand out.

I can see using this sketch again. maybe next time I'll flip it. Who knows?  What will you do with the sketch?  We'd love to see at Sketches in Thyme.  

Supplies:

CS-Bazzill

PP-Basic Grey

washi-WRMK

Twine-Doodlebug

buttons-random

arrows-Studio Calico, Fancy Pants

Operation:Breathe

Good morning!  I'm happy to be sharing my first LO as leader of Child's Play Challenges.  It doesn't mean anything really.  I'm just happy to be able to offer the opportunity to continue these challenges. I really hope you will come check them out.

Today's inspiration is the Classic Toy Challenge: The Doctor Kit

And this is how I chose to use it.

My boys didn't play with Doctor kits, but my son had surgery last summer.  We had to have his little nose 'fixed' so he could breathe. We had many trips to the doctor both before and afterwards.  The middle photo is the before and the outer photos are the day after.  I'm amazed at how quickly he recovered.

This LO is not fancy and doesn't use lots of new trends, but I like it. The focus is on the photos. Small patterns give it some interest, buttons give it dimension, and te dark background makes the photos stand out.

Like I said, I am happy to be a part of Child's Play Challenges and to have it continue. I hope you will look for inspiration in toys, books, crafts and games and join us this month.

Supplies:

CS-Bazzill

PP-LYB

buttons-random

tape-Darice

Alphas-Sassafrass, Simple Stories

brads-KI Memories

paper flower-AC

pen-Souffle

Friends

Good morning and welcome to my second reveal of the day: Sketches with Color. Here is the color inspirations and sketch.

This is a color palette I would consider outside of my box. I decided to keep it simple.

Well, fairly simple.  I focused on the pink and used the other colors as accents. I think I am learning how to use these palettes! Especially ones containing colors I don't use regularly.  I did try something new by creating paint circles with a paper towel roll. I also traced a stencil with a pen.  The photo has a dark background and need to stand out, calling for the crisp white background on which to begin.

I hope you will com join us this month at Sketches with Color.  Remember the new format is one inspiration a month, where you can use either the sketch OR the colors, OR both for an additional chance to be the favorite for the month.

Supplies:

CS-Bazzill

PP-MME

tape-Pebbles

stencil-stusio calico

paint-making memories

mist-Heidi Swapp

alphas-Thickers

Pen-American Crafts

bling-Hobby Lobby

3rd Grade

Welcome to August! I can't believe how quickly the summer is flying by. Today is double reveal day.  First up is the Aug 1 challenge for About a Boy: Create a LO using a school photo.  

I have a separate school album for both of my boys where I use a similar design for every page. I didnt want to do that today.  This is what I came up with instead.

This is one of my all time favorite photos of my older son. So I used some of my all time favorite papers to complement it. The colors are bright, making the kraft cardstock a good choice to neutralize the background. I used an alphabet stencil and misted into the background. It's subtle, but it's there going with the school theme.  I grabbed embellishments from several different manufactures to add around the circle, again enhancing the theme.  I like the way the navy and red contrast so much of the green and yellow, but keep the focus on the photo.  Not a lot of fluff, but I love the way it turned out.

Please join us for the first challenge this month at About a Boy. We love to see what you create.

Supplies:

CS-The paper company

PP-Cosmo Cricket

journal tag-Simple Stories

Embellishment stickers-imaginese, crate paper, simple stories, tpc studios

stencil-crafters workshop

mist-tattered angels, Studio Calico

alphas-Simple Stories

Techie

I'm so happy I got to create something just for fun. And I am so happy that I got to be so inspired by this great sketch from Scrap Our Stash.  I like playing along there and am trying to do so more consistently.

I got the idea for these photos from Scrappin' Peeps Summer Camp Challenge #7-Computer Camp

I came across these photos accidentally and everything just fell into place.  I used an old chipboard circle and stuck the alpha stickers all the way around it to give it a raised look and  dimension.  The bling worked great with the mist splatters.  It is a rare occasion when something I envisioned in my head comes out looking pretty much the way I wanted it to.  The LO was pretty easy to put together and I love the way it turned out.

There is still a few days left to play along at Scrap Our Stash.  I'm looking forward to playing there again next month too.

Supplies:
CS-Bazzill
PP-Basic Grey, Kaiserkraft, unknown
chipboard-MAMBI
alphas-Kaiserkraft
die cut stickers-kaiserkraft and Cosmo Cricket
mist-Studio Calico
bling-hobby lobby

St. Louis Arch

Well Good morning everyone!  I'm starting my Monday off with a new LO to share for the new Challenge blog: ScrapStuffz "Inspired by".  I am very please to be a part of this blog, I think the team is filled with creative people, and I love  being Inspired by everything around me.

We are starting things off with one challenge a month. We thought you'd like ample time to create a LO.  This month, we are inspired by this image:

I think this is a really fun way to celebrate the month of red.white and blue. Here is what I created:

These photos are from our 2008 spring break trip to St. Louis. Our older son wanted to explore and chose St.Louis.  I had originally intended to scrap them right away and make a mini book. I'm glad I didn't.  Waiting has given me a different perspective on the trip. Details have been forgotten, but that's ok. I see different details now.

I thought it would be fun to do red, white and blue for non-July 4 photos.  These were a good choice.    I liked that the washi tape reminded me of the shooting burst on the inspiration image.  The red pearls I cut apart. They go with the arch. A happy Lo for fun happy photos.

This is one of the first LO I created after my little hiatus.  Needing a staring point, I used this awesome sketch from Let's Get Sketchy.  Sheesh, about time I played along over there!  

There is lot of red, white and blue this month.  I hope you will join us for some additional inspiration at ScrapStuffz "Inspired by".

Supplies:

CS-Pulp paper

PP-Basic Grey, Fancy Pants

Journal tag-Echo Park

Die Cuts-Basic Grey

washi tape-Darice

Alphas-Jillibean Soup, October Afternoon

Pearls-MME

Little bag-Fancy Pants

mist-Heidi Swapp, Studio Calico

B*L*D*

Well Good Morning!  I said I would have multiple posts today.  Well 2 is multiple right?  It's reveal day at Sketches in Thyme today, as well as Summer Camp at both Scrappin' Peeps Community and Challenges and CK-Creating Keepsakes Magazine.  Sometimes there is something to be said for waiting until the last minute to do a Dt assignment because I was able to create this LO for all three purposes.

Well, here is today's Sketches in Thyme sketch #118 that I had to work with:

And here is my LO:

I am having to get used to using other sized photos on my pages.  I am a traditional 4x6 girl.  Yes, I could have used 4x6 all the way across, but decided to go ahead and try something different.  I knew I wanted to turn the paper strips into banners. I had originally intended to use PP, but after seeing the Scrappin' Peeps and CK challenges, I changed my mind.  I used my stencils and mist  (CK)to create the background on the banners.  I chose to repeat the colors in the title, and then stay monochromatic for the embellishments.  For Scrappin' Peeps, Campfire Songs, I used the song 'Yummy, Yummy, Yummy', by Ohio Express in my journaling as well as using gold letters in my title and silver ink pen to write my journaling.  

This sketch is really versatile. I hope you will head over to Sketches in Thyme and share a LO yo've created with Sketch #118

Supplies:

CS-Bazzill, Pulp

PP-old random unknown

mist-Heidi Swapp, Tattered Angels

stencils-Crafters Workshop

Washi-Scotch

alphas-Cosmo Cricket, Doodlebug, Thickers

gems-Hobby Lobby

twine-MME

Night Swimmers

Well, I have neglected to post anything in over a week.  That has to change!  Let this be the first of multiple posts this week!  I've got some creativity up my sleeve. Now let's see if I have a chance to get it on the page!

It's reveal day again for About a Boy.  This challenge is a fun summer one. WATER.  I purposely waited to create my LO until after we returned from visiting my Dad.  With a pool in his yard, I was sure to get some great photos. (And if not, I know Dad would have some I could use).  I am proud to say that I actually took these photos and they are pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

After a hot 4th of July with temps of 109, it was decided a night swim was in order. After all, at 10pm, it was still in the 90's.  These two were having so much fun, I decided to use an older Fancy Pants Beach Bum Collection that was more whimsical.  I even used a rub on! The giant wave!  I added the twine to the border to draw the eye downward on the page, to see all the photos.  To reinforce that idea, I placed some photo corners at the bottom of the page as well.  I think it worked!

I hope to see you playing along with the WATER challenge at About a Boy.  You have until the 29th to upload your pages.

Supplies:
Sketch-Inspired Blueprints #100
PP, chipboard, CS stickers, rub-on-Fancy Pants
Twine-Doodlebug
Alphas-American Crafts
Gems-Hobby Lobby

The New* Me

Well, the Bar Mitzvah has come and gone. It was a wonderful day that went by too fast.   I'm home from vacation and I'm even caught up on DT LO's.  So, what now?  I don't think I've been this excited to write a blog post in a long time.  Why you ask? Because it's the first page in a very long time that I did just for me.  Not for a DT requirement, not from a kit club, just for me.  I also can get back to my own personal challenge for this year, trying at least one new challenge blog a month.

For this month, I am playing along at About a Girl.  How fun for me!  My life revolves around my two boys and my husband. Even my dog is a boy.  I rarely get to scrap about girls, or use anything pink, frilly and girly.  I've been trying to do more pages about me, both now and when I was younger. This is the perfect opportunity.

The first challenge at About a Girl this month is to use the word NEW somewhere in the page. I knew exactly what I would do.

I recently got braces. It's something I've been thinking about for years. (but first I had to overcome my fear of the dentist). Anyway, my older son got braces earlier this year, so I thought if we did it together, I wouldn't chicken out.  So, for the next 9-12 months, this is the NEW me.  Brace Face, Metal Mouth, Tinsel Teeth.  Whatever you want to call me, I am still me, and proud of it.

Since I haven't scrapped regularly in over a month, I needed a jump start.  Lately my go to sketch site Inspired Blueprints.  I found this sketch to get me started:

I moved the banner underneath the photo.  I embossed using a stencil and versamark ink at the top and bottom, then stitched through it to make it look like braces.  I even used silver letters in the title.  oh, and of course, bling!

Thanks for taking a look today.  Go ahead and take a look at About a Girl and Inspired Blueprints too!

Supplies:

CS-Bazzill

PP-Fancy Pants

Twine-MME

Bling & Stencil-Hobby Lobby

Ink-Versamark

Alphas-Fancy Pants and Thickers

Washi-Papyrus

And the Sparks Go Flying...

Please go here for today's Sketches With Color challenge

Happy July 1 and good day to you!   So, my second reveal of the day, is courtesy of About a Boy.   The theme for our July 1 challenge is...RED, WHITE and BLUE.  Oh and did I have fun with this one...

Of course I was going to do a July 4th LO!  I loved these papers when I bought them last summer...glad I saved them to use now.  These two have spent every July 4th together that I can remember.  Funny that  they were always hesitant to play with the sparklers, but they always quickly over came their fear. So much so, that they were disappointed when they were all gone.  Oh well, there is always next year...

About a boy wasn't the only place hosting a red, white and blue challenge. Scrap Our Stash is too! Their twist though was to add some pre-made stars.  Done. There are several wood veneers placed on the page!

Hope to see you playing along with us at About a Boy. Can't wait to see what you create with red, white and blue, and where your inspiration takes you.

Supplies-

PP-Authentique

Alphas-Authentique, Thickers

Wood veneer-Studio Calico

ink-Versa

Thread-DMC

Bazzill In Stitch'z

Easy Rider

Please go here for About a Boy and ScrapStuffz July 1 challenge.

Good Morning and Happy July 1!  That means it's double reveal day again!  I'm starting today with my LO for Sketches with Color.  Speaking of which, be on the lookout for some exciting changes coming to Sketches with Color.  Beginning today, challenges will be posted on the 1st, and run all month long.   You also can use the sketch OR the color scheme.  However, if you use both, you get an extra entry for prizes.  Keep checking back to see what else we have in store for you!

Here is this month's color scheme and sketch

Here is my interpretation:

I loved this color scheme and the sketch!  These colors scream summer to me. They are fun and work well together.  As you can see, I moved my title and used that placement for journaling instead.  I eliminated the round elements, using sharp edges instead. I did however, used a rounded border punch. I felt it need something to go with the tires on the bike, and also the bike embellishments.  I used a lot of busy papers, so I kept the rest of the embellishments to a minimum.

I hope you will come by and check out Sketches with Color and our new changes!

Supplies-

PP-Fancy Pants

CS-Bazzill

Twine-Doodlebug

Wood Veneer-Studio Calico

enamel dots and washi-MME

punch-Fiskars

ink-colorbox

alphas-Thickers

Two to Share

Well, school ended, Bar Mitzvah was incredible, family has come and gone.  That means I get to begin to find a summer vacation routine.  I had two things on my list to do. First, create my page for Sketches in Thyme.  Second, submit a page to Scrap Our Stash for the About Our Guys challenge.  Wow, I haven't participated in a challenge in over a month. Sure feels good to be back!

Here is Sketches in Thyme Sketch #115

and here is my LO:

I chose to turn it into a single page LO.  I had the idea to use these photos when I saw this sketch. Actually, this sketch lends itself to a lot of photos that I have. It's a great sketch for sequential photos.  i don't usually use the little 3x4 cards on one side of a PP, but this time I did. They worked great with this sketch.

Supplies: PP-Crate Paper, MME, Alphas-Thickers, thread-DMC, Tape-MME, Recollections, buttons-SEI, wood veneer-Studio Calico

This next LO is what I created for Scrap Our Stash.  About our guys with a twist to use 5 or more brads.  Pretty sure I aced this one...

I'm getting around to our 2008 spring break trip to St. Louis.  We were just hanging out in the hotel room watching bad TV.  Sometimes I think that is half the fun for the kids anyway....

I kept this LO pretty simple.  I thought the brads added a bit of texture and some details. Oh, and there are definitely more than 5!

Supplies-CS-Bazzill, PP-Lily Bee, Buttons-AC, Brads-Making Memories, Alphas-Thickers, Echo Park

Thanks for stopping today.  Be sure and check out this week's sketch at Sketches in Thyme.  There's still some time left to enter your LO at Scrap Our Stash too!

Rockin' the 'Do

If you are looking for Sketch With Color post, please go here.

Hello to you!  I am happy to share my second LO of the day courtesy of About A Boy.  The 6/15 challenge is so much fun!  Ready?  Going in Circles!  Yay!  Circles are so versatile.

Here is my LO

I wanted to try a few things with this page.  I used some older papers and cut the circles out of it and arranged them on the background.  Some of the circles I tried to alter some of them with some glaze.  It didn't work very well, but I tried.  Some I added glitter, some little embellishment clusters.  I just wanted to have some fun.  The photo is a little silly, so I felt the page should be too.  I even chose the font for the title because the letters in the word 'do' were very round!

I hope you will join in the fun at About a Boy for our going in circles challenge!

Supplies-

Sketch-Scrapbook Generation

PP-Bo Bunny, Basic Grey

Wood veneer-Studio Calico

Buttons-AC

Brads-SEI, Making Memories

Stickles

Alphas-Thickers, Autehntique, Echo Park

Diamond Glaze

The Hive

Good Morning!  It's Double Post day again!  These will also be the only posts for the next week or so.  Big family event coning up!!!

Anyway, back to today's LO.  First up is m LO for the 6/15 Sketch With Color.

Here is the color scheme and sketch

And here is my LO

I have to say that both this sketch and color scheme were really tough for me! But I battled through and  once again, I've been taken out of my comfort zone!  I chose the photos first.  I thought they would be good for these colors. When I began, I went through my scraps first.  That helped me decide what colors I wanted to be dominant.  I don't use a lot of purple, so that worked for me to use it as an accent color in the flowers and stitching.  The funniest thing was that I knew I had seen these wood bees at my LSS. At least I thought I had. It took 2 trips to the store and a Facebook post from them to me to find them!  I altered them with some black Stickles before adding them to the page.  ALl in all, I'm pretty happy with this!

Come on by and join us at Sketch With Color!

Supplies:

CS-Bazzill

PP-MME, Bo Bunny

Thread-DMC

Flowers-random

Bling-Queen & Co

Wood veneer-Kaiserkraft

Twine-The Twinery

Mist-Fireworks

Stencil-Crafters Workshop

Stickles

Mickey's Kingdom

Good Morning!  I'm keeping up. Barely but I'm keeping up....Today it's my turn to share the latest inspirations over at Child's Play Challenges.

Could this be any more appropriate for me?  Let's see, Disneyland is my second favorite place in the world. (the beach is first).  Little Man watches this show about 100 times a week. (almost). And my scraproom is decorated in antique Mickey.

Here is what I have to share today.  Not what you were expecting?  Me neither. 

I'm not sure if this photo never got scrapped in our album from this trip in 2007 or if I had duplicate copies.  I didn't even look before I did this page.  Oh well.  I didn't add any journaling knowing I would put it right into the album.

I found some really old Disney papers that I cut apart. Some I used to matte the photo, the rest became the banner.  Short on time, I grabbed a variety of washi tape to create the background.  I decided to use my Mickey shaped punch, which I put with the title. Lastly, I added some splatters and called it a day.

There are so many other things that jump out at me from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse inspiration photo.  I hope to see you playing along at Child's Play Challenges too.

Supplies-

CS-Bazzill

PP-Paper Pizzazz, Fancy Pants

Washi-MME, Queen & Co, Darice

Twine-Doodlebug

Buttons-random

Mist-Studio Calico, Tattered Angels

Alphas-Thickers

New Heights

Good Thursday morning to you all!  It's reveal day again!  Yes, I seem to be getting LO's done, but only DT work.  But that's ok. At least I'm scrapping!

For those that are regular readers, and friends, you all know I have a huge family event coming up.  For those that are new, I have a huge family event coming up, and therefore am short on scrappy time. I'm looking forward to getting back to multiple posts a week.  I miss sharing the things I make, and playing along at my favorite challenge sites!

Anyhoo, I have a fun LO to share today, courtesy of Sketches in Thyme   Here is sketch #113:

and here is my LO:

I'm finally learning to use a sketch as a jumping off point.  Yes, there are times when I will follow a sketch exactly. But I think I've figured out how to use sketches, and adapt them to work for me instead of the other way around.

Here I kept the basics of the sketch, but completely changed details and embellishments.  I used one of our dinner plates to trace the circle.  I sewed around it to give it some definition.  I chose my embellishment to help tell the story of the day we realized our son was taller than me. Talk about a bittersweet moment! Arrows pointing up, measurements and his (almost) age at the time of the photo. I'm really happy the way this turned out.

All the credit goes to Sketches in Thyme for this wonderful sketch.  Hope to see your LO's using sketch #113!

Supplies-

CS-Bazzill

PP and embellishments-Simple Stories

Washi-Theresa Collins

Two Little Fishes

Hello and welcome to the first ever Scrapbook Generation  Sketch Lovers Blog Hop.  These are planned to be held quarterly, so if all goes well, you should be able to hop again in September!

Let's take care of business first.   You should have arrived here from Sherri's blog. If not, or if you go lost along the way, please go back to Scrapbook Generation  and begin from there.

Each blog you visit will be showcasing a LO inspired by an SG sketch.  Their sketches are available for purchase in book or downloads at the SG store.  Not ready to make a purchase?  A sketch is available free each month. Download one and give it a try.

Here is mine:

I treated myself during NSD weekend by purchasing the download version of the Travel Sketches book.  I'm so happy I did.  Most of the sketches in that book use uncropped 4x6 photos.  Can you say made for me?  The sketches in this particular book are extremely versatile.  Travel or not. In my case today, not.  This LO is straight out of that book. I did add my own embellishment clusters, but the rest of the page is pretty much the same as the sketch.  And I love it!  The best part is being able to use them over and over.  Change the photos and the papers and you have an entirely new page.

Thank you for hopping and stopping here on your journey.  From here, please go to Tina's blog.  Remember to leave a comment on each blog to be entered for your chance to win a sketch bundle of your choice from the SG store.  The winner will be chosen on June 10th.  That gives you a week to comment.

(On a side note, I also created this LO for a new challenge blog called Inspired by...  If you are interested, go check it out)

Zoo Campers

If you are looking for Sketches with Color blog post, please go here.

Yes, It is double reveal day for me. It's June 1, so new challenges are up!  About a Boy's new challenge is so fun!  I couldn't decide whatI wanted to do!  A favorite Summer/Holiday activity.

Well that could men anything for us!  We go visit my Mom at the beach, we go visit my Dad and his pool, we have pajama day the first day of Summer Vacation....and them I cam across these photos and decided on...

My son and his buddy started going to Zoo Camp at our Zoo the summer before Kindergarten.  These photos are from the summer before 3rd Grade.  A favorite summer activity?  You bet!  We had to sign them up in March and if you didn't register them registration opened, you didn't get in!

These two would come home and just yap, yap, yap about everything they did and learned.  And then they'd pass out!  It was only one week each summer, but well worth every ounce of effort it took to get them there and back.

I thought this page was a great way to use my BG Bowties paper. Never did I think I's use the 'bug' side of the paper, but what do you know...

So come join in the summer activity fun over at About a Boy.  We'd love to see you there.

Supplies-

CS-Bazzil

PP and embellies-BG

Washi-Pebbles

Alphas-Thickers

Wood veneer-Studio Calico

Twine-Doodlebug

Sketch inspired by Scrapbook Generation

Teacher's Pet

If you are looking for About a Boy June 1 challenge, please go here

It's June 1 and that means it's reveal day for me!  That also means it's double post day, so please stay and read them both!  The first reveal is for Sketches With Color.  I really liked both the sketch and colors for this challenge.

Take a look

I like that having to use both the color scheme and provided sketch is really pushing me to think differently.  This one was really fun.  I've been enjoying one photo pages a lot lately.  This time I even cropped a 4x6 photo into a 4x4.  I've never done that before on a whole 12x12 canvas!

I used a combination of paper scraps and washi tape behind the photo.  All of the elements I chose to use were small so I chose to continue that and use small letters for the title instead of large ones.  At the last minute, I decided to matte the whole page on ble card stock.  It needed that to focus on the blue under the photo.

Hope to see you playing along at Sketches with Color.  If i can do it, I know you can too! 

Supplies-

CS-Bazzill

PP-Basic Grey, Pebbles, EP, Lily Bee, 

Washi-Darice, Bella Blvd

Stickers & alphas-EP, AC

Pointing Fingers

Oh I can't believe I forgot to write this post!  Well, that goes to show how out of control life got last week.  I'm glad that's over.  At least there is a second reveal at Sketches in Thyme using the same sketch, #112.

When I first saw the sketch, I panicked.  I use primarily 4x6 photos.  This is out of my box!  However, I also knew right away what photos I would use.

For those that are new to me and my blog, my son has special needs.  This is a milestone for him, and an incredibly important one.  He has finally figured out pointing with one finger, something he has not been able to do until very recently.  This quite literally, puts the world at his fingertips.  I am so happy I was able to grab a few quick shots before we left for school.  He opened the book and pointed to quite a few animals on the pages.  I tried to capture the action as well as some of him.  I think I did that.

I tried to keep this fairly simple.  The sketch itself has a lot going on.  I only used 2 papers. The rest is washi tape and die cuts. And really, I tried to keep the focus on the photos.  I used the arrows to move the story across the page.

I am hoping you'll stop by Sketches in Thyme and join in the fun.

Supplies-
CS-Bazzill
PP-MME
Washi-Bella Blvd, Echo Park
Die & stamp-hero arts/Sizzix
ink-Stazon
Stickles
Alphas-Thickers

Hello Sunshine

Yes, that's right, three posts today.

Please go here if you are looking for the 5/15 About a Boy challenge.
Please go here if you are looking for the 5/15 Sketches with Color challenge.

This next page was designed with a few things in mind.  First, it's Craft Challenge reveal time at Child's Play Challenges.  This time, an item I can seriously relate to....BUTTONS!  Buttons, buttons everywhere.  Not really, but there are quite a few on my page.  Buttons are probably the most versatile of all scrappy embellishments.  Use them as is, with thread, alter them, create shapes, banners, and they don't even have to be all the same....But that's just my opinion.

I'm weird.  Sometimes I get an idea in my head and I just have to find a way to do it. On this page, it was the buttons as sun rays.  I know the sun is large, but it made me so happy while I was creating it.   I decided to also use some washi, but it was so transparent, I needed to add something, so I sewed down the middle of each washi ray.  Regardless, the rays point to the title,  photo and journaling.  So I think it all works. I began this page by looking through some sketches. This page is inspired by Inspired Blueprints #91.

I am also hosting this weeks Issue Challenge at Club CK: Use only patterned paper to create your LO.  This is something I've been doing a lot lately.  With so little time to scrap this spring, when I do have some time, it's much easier and faster to grab a few papers from a collection. I already know they go together, so the pages come together rather quickly.  If I had to search thru all my random papers right now, I'd probably be getting nothing done at all.  However, when I get some time back, anything goes....

Well, I hope to see you playing with buttons at Child's Play Challenges and with patterned paper at Club Ck this week!

Supplies-

PP-LYB, Doodlebug

journal spot-Fancy Pants

washi-MME

thread-DMC

alphas-Thickers and Simple Stories

buttons-random

twine-Doodlebug

brads-Making Memories

glitter-Martha Stewart Crafts

I Love my Family

Please go here for 5/15 About a Boy post.

Please go here for 5/15 Child's Play Challenges post.

Welcome to my Wednesday writing frenzy.  I have 3 reveals today!  I'm really excited about them all too!  I am thoroughly enjoying Sketches With Color.  I'm going to keep saying it, but using a sketch and a color scheme is stretching my creative mojo. I really encourage you to try it out. These are becoming some of my favorite pages I've made recently.

This month we are using the Pantone color palette, and choosing three colors for our LOs.

Using this sketch

I used linen, monaco blue and sunflower, with a touch of nectarine for some contrast.

This page is quite a departure for me.  I used flowers! And there is a bug on the paper too!  And there is not red, or green on the page!  These papers and embellishments were given to me as part of a monthly class I take at my LSS.  I enjoy being able to use things I don't ordinarily use.  This was no exception.  

I looked at these items and immediately knew how I wanted to use them. I thought they were perfect for this reveal.  The colors are pretty together and set the mood with the photo.  I've had this photo sitting around my desk for a awhile.  My aunt passed away shortly after it was taken. It turned out to be a beautiful way to remember her. 

Hopefully I'll see you over at Sketches With Color. Find your colors to set the mood for your LO's too.

Supplies-

PP-Kaiserkraft, Melissa Frances

die cuts-Kaiserkfraft

washi-Glitz

Mist-Studio Calico