Layout #46 - Sketchy Thursdays and Scrapbooker's Anonymous

The frugal scrapper strikes again! This is the third layout I've made with that piece of Basic Grey pp, those journaling cards are at least 5 years old, and the chipboard alphas, flower and pearls I won as blog candy! Don't think you can make a layout for much cheaper than that! Now hopefully I make it in time for these challenges, I'm definitely a procrastinator and work better under pressure. There's just been so many cool sketches and challenges this month, it was impossible to do them all. This sketch from Sketchy Thursdays was just begging to be used, pronto:

And I love journaling cards, have a bunch in my stash, so the challenge at Scrapbooker's Anonymous this month was just made for me! Well, that'll end my August - bring on September!

Supplies: Basic Grey patterned paper, Heidi Swapp journaling cards and chipboard alphas, Close to My Heart cardstock and pearls, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, Memento ink, unknown flower and die cuts

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Layout #45 - From Screen 2 Scrap

Are you getting sick of Brenna pages yet? She is just so fun to scrap, I can't help myself, and I don't want to get way behind on baby pages like I have for Ailis. Her album is full of half-finished pages with no journaling!

This is a very last-minute page I did up with one of the birthday challenges at From Screen 2 Scrap in mind. Using this movie poster as inspiration:

the challenge is to make a layout with polka dot patterned paper, numbers in the title, and lots of bling and girlishness (didn't think that was a word, but I'm not getting the red squiggly line underneath - who knew?) I had this new polka dot paper in mind for these photos, but then I dug in my stash for the rest of the supplies. That pink pp? It's gotta be at least 8 years old!!! For the journaling, I pulled out my trusty calendar where I've been jotting things down all year and printed out some facts about Brenna at 16 (months, that is, hopefully that's obvious to her in years to come). Hope ya like!

Two little things I'd like to toot about: first one is, I was chosen as a fave over at Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge for this layout, woohoo! Second, I made the design team for Creative Accents, my fave LSS! Here's my badge:

Double woohoo! I am so excited for this, I can't even tell ya! Stay tuned for my first reveal for the September Challenge, and I hope you all will join me!

Supplies: Basic Grey and Provo Craft patterned paper, Close to My Heart cardstock, ink, and gems, Autumn Leaves stamps, Tim Holtz Grungeboard, Ranger stickles, Heidi Swapp chipboard alphas, Twinery twine, unknown ribbon and tag, staples

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Layout #44 - Sketches in Thyme

As soon as I took this photo of Brenna at the grocery store for the June Photo Challenge (I don't normally take photos in the grocery store, believe me!) I knew I wanted to do an "apple of my eye" page. See, a scrapbooker's mind, always thinking of that next page! So I brought my printed photo into Creative Accents, and found this gorgeous Imaginisce paper to match! (Do you ever bring your photos into your LSS, or do you just buy whatever tickles your fancy? I do both!) With this sketch from Sketches in Thyme:

it wasn't long before a page was born! Do you wanna know how I made that red polka dot paper, do ya? I saw this in a magazine, can't remember which one, but I'm pretty sure it was Vicki Boutin who did it. Take an embossing folder, rub it with distress ink, spritz with water, stick your plain ol' white paper in there, and run it through your Cuttlebug (or other tool). Voila, coloured, embossed paper like none other! Can't wait to try this technique with more than one colour! The lime green paper is homemade, too: Distress Ink/Water mixture, then stamped over with a background stamp in the same colour ink. Very subtle, but again, unique. I didn't agonize too much over embellishments this time because I already had these little apple stamps I'd coloured in at Cheri's beginner Copic class I did a while back. Yep, must say I'm lovin' this page, most of all because of Brenna's squishy cheeks and "muscled" arm looking at me from the grocery cart!

Supplies: Imaginisce patterned paper, Close to My Heart cardstock, ink, stamp sets (the Works Alphabet and Intrinsic Backgrounds), and brads, Ranger Distress Ink (Fired Brick, Shabby Shutters, and Walnut Stain), Hampton Arts small alpha stamp set, Twinery twine, Copic markers, Heidi Swapp journaling spot, Creative Memories pen, unknown ribbon, trim, paper clip, chipboard leaf and apple stamp

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Layout #43 - Once Upon A ... Sketch

As soon as I heard this song, I knew I wanted to scrap it for Brenna! I even wrote it down in my journal to save for later, and now, finally I have the photo and the challenge to match! Perfect! Not sure how many of you would have heard this song, it's by a Canadian artist and I'm not even sure what else he sings, but it's very upbeat and cute. Here is the sketch from Once Upon A ... Sketch:

And of course their criteria was to use at least two lines from a song for your journaling. I had to flip the sketch to make it work, but I think I'm finally happy with it. It took me a long time to figure out where to put my swirls, and I almost put something up in the top left corner, but ... decided not to. Hopefully it was the right decision. Do you ever agonize over things like this, or is it just me? The red accents almost didn't happen, either. I decided at 3 pm yesterday that I was going to try and get this in for the JUGS challenge, and that required some red in addition to the yellow, brown, and olive. Of course, I couldn't make the deadline, but the red title was glued down and I felt I had to add some more red with the swirls. Another good decision? You tell me!

Well, I am counting down the days until school starts (12)! My kids don't have school supplies or clothes, so I guess I better get a plan in place, because there is NO WAY I'm taking all three of them shopping at once! I can't think of a worse form of torture!!! Are you looking forward to September?

Supplies: Prism (?) and Close to My Heart cardstock, Webster's Pages, Pebbles, and Imaginisce patterned paper, Autumn Leaves and Close to My Heart stamps, Close to My Heart Ink, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, Creative Memories pen, unknown ribbon

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Layout #42 - Project 12

FINALLY, finished with this one! It seemed to take forever, and there were so many times I wanted to put it aside and do something else, but I persevered, and YAY! So glad I'm doing Project 12 this year, it feels really great to be summarizing each month, and if I got nothing else done in the scrapbooking department, at least I'll have these 12 layouts for the family album.

So, what did I do here? Well, I started with the photos, tried to represent the major happenings and the major players (of course, I'm only in one photo, but that's the way it goes, right?) Then chose patterned paper - I had this cool glossy stripe pp from Imaginisce, with polka dots on the reverse, that seemed to go great with everything, but I wanted a blue background and didn't have any blue. What to do? I masked and brayered some Broken China Distress Ink on both pieces of cream cardstock. It's pretty hard to get even coverage, but I kind of like the uneven look anyway! I also sprayed some Electric Blue Glimmer Mist on there to blotch it up some more. After I laid out my photos and papers, I thought it still looked a bit plain, and that's when I had the idea to make little tags for each photo and tie them with twine. Done, but still a bit plain, so then I had the idea of making each patterned paper block into a little vignette: kites, and trees, and owls, oh my! And don't forget about Mr. Hedgehog, isn't he adorable? I find that sometimes my mind is very grounded in reality, and I balk at the idea of a green sky or a red mushroom, so these little scenes are a bit of a stretch for me! Then it was just the title and journaling, but all this stamping and inking and fussy cutting has me drained! I'm done like dinner, hope you enjoy this little look into my creative process!

Supplies: Close to My Heart cardstock, brads, ink, and stamps, Ranger Distress Ink, Imaginisce and Basic Grey patterned paper, Bazzill orange cardstock, Prima journaling card, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, Twinery twine, American Crafts Thickers, Creative Memories pen, My Minds Eye acetate border, Courier New font

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Layout #41 - Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge

Here's a layout I finished today using a sketch from Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge (don't ya just love that name?). I really went to town with the Distress Inks on this background - can you believe it used to be a piece of plain ol' cream cardstock? I just sprayed it with water, crumpled it up, then rubbed it around in a Distress Ink/water mixture. I didn't like all the cream still showing, so I had to go in with the sponge tool and ink the gaps. Note to self: do the crumpling after the inking! Anyway, here's the sketch I used:

We were also supposed to scrapbook something fun, or funny to go along with this fun sketch. I can't get a decent photo of Nolan and Ailis anymore. By decent, I mean looking at the camera and smiling a normal everyday smile. I really love this photo, though, they were just so happy it really shone through in their goofy faces!

As you can see, I didn't deviate a whole lot from the sketch. I loooooooved the kites, so I paper pieced my own, and I quite like how they turned out! Might have to do that again. And I got to use this cool "paper" I've been hoarding from a kit I won maybe 2 years ago (from Scrap Attack Scrapbooking, who are currently closing their doors and having a big sale, incidentally) - it reminds me of a basketball! Anyway, hope you like my wild and crazy layout, because I had a blast making it!

Supplies: CTMH cardstock, ribbon, stamp set (Delightful Alphabet) and ink (Cranberry), Cosmo Cricket and Little Yellow Bicycle patterned paper, Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Broken China, Walnut Stain, and Tea Dye), Twinery twine, Colorbok phot corners, unknown "basketball" paper

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Card #10 - I Got New Copics!

A couple of RV's, so now my girl stamps don't have to wear brown or yellow clothes all the time! And I really broke the bank and bought this sentiment from Graphicat Designs because when I read it, I just cracked up and had to have it! I suppose this isn't really appropriate for a kid's birthday card (although Ailis thinks it's hilarious, too, but she's desensitized from having an older brother with a potty mouth!) but I'm sure one of my old friends would love it! So I'm entering this card over at Kraftin' Kimmie (oh yeah, I was the random winner last week, so that was pretty awesome!): use 1 flower, 1 ribbon, and 1 piece of chipboard. While I was making this card, I realized that I hardly have any chipboard - what kind of scrapper am I? I used a scrap bit of chipboard to make the flower center, which you can't see that well in the photo, but it adds a bit of dimension, as does the box pleated cardstock at the bottom. This was the first time I tried to box pleat anything, and I like the result, so I'll be doing that again for sure! I also used this sketch from Graphicat Designs sketch challenges:

so that I can enter Cheri's August challenge.

Well, I hope you all have a lovely weekend! It's hot here, and supposed to stay so all weekend, so hopefully I'll get some sun on these ol' bones and rejuvenate a bit, because come Monday, I'm a single mom for a few days and I'm gonna need my energy!

Supplies: Close to My Heart, Prism, and Creative Memories cardstock, Cosmo Cricket and Echo Park patterned paper, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, Kraftin' Kimmie stamp, Memento ink, Copic markers, Graphicat Designs sentiment, unknown ribbon

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Layout #40 - 30 minute layout for Inspired Blueprints

My bloggy friend Alison did a layout a while back in 30 minutes! I was so inspired, I thought I better give it a try, especially as Brenna was napping and I felt I should be doing laundry or some other chore instead. So, using this sketch from Inspired Blueprints:

and some gorgeous photos of my gorgeous beach babe, Ailis, I put together this layout.

To be honest, it did take more than 30 minutes, but I managed to get the papers and photos all cut and stuck down in a half hour. The stamping, journaling, and glitzifying I had to finish at night and when the kids were looking the other way. Darn those kids, they constantly make me feel guilty for having any fun!

I'm starting to think I need to get myself a border punch. That border strip is traced from a template I made myself out of cardboard, and cut out with scissors, and seeing this is the second time I've gone through this process in a week, it's getting a bit tedious. So my question to you, my sisters in scrappyhood, is this: do you use border punches, and if so, what is your favorite?

Supplies: Close to My Heart patterned paper, cardstock, stamps, ink, and prisma glitter, Sassafrass patterned paper, Creative Memories pen, Ranger Glossy Accents, date stamp

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Layout #39 - ARTastic and Sketchy Thursdays

Here's another LO that ended up having a mind of its own. When I saw the inspiration painting and criteria at ARTastic (paint or create your background, one ribbon, and a picture of a child playing) I thought, hey, I can do that no problem! I found these photos of Nolan and Ailis hiking at Marble Canyon a couple of weeks ago (this is as close as they get to playing together these days) that were a perfect match for this beautiful sketch from Sketchy Thursdays:

But then I was stumped! I had dreams of Holtzifying some cardstock with distress inks, stamps, and perfect pearls, and then I left for Williams Lake. (You may recall that Ailis was invited to a Barbie birthday tea party! It was soooooo cute, and she had a great time. I had such a fun time with the girls, but Saturday was such a looooooong day. First we went to the water park, then to Creative Accents, then Walmart, then to the in-laws, then finally to my parents for bed. Brenna stayed awake ALL DAY, poor thing!) Anyway, when I went into Creative Accents, I showed these photos to Julie to see if she could match them to anything, and she found this cool lime green Basic Grey pp which just seemed to make the photos pop. That paper inspired me to pull out my ol' lime green and white paint and do some dry brushing up there in the corner, and the rest came together pretty quickly. I must say, though, my favorite part is the title, and unfortunately you can't see it very well at all in the photo. It says, "outdoor recreation" and I wrote it with a pin dipped in paint. So, yeah, very different from what I'd first envisioned, (seriously, brown, orange, green and blue? Pretty far out!) but I think I kinda like it! What do you think?

Supplies: Close to My Heart cardstock and brads, Bazzill cardstock, Prima journaling cards, Basic Grey patterned paper, Creative Memories pens, DecoArt paint, unknown ribbon

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Layout #38 - Once Upon A Sketch and Creative Accents

I ain't gonna lie to ya, my life is Far (with a capital "F"!) from perfect (especially this summer!) but I really wanted to play along with Once Upon A Sketch, so I had to come up with a layout with the words, "A Perfect Day Is" in it somewhere and use this sketch:

Huh. The day I took this photo of Brenna was one of the best days in recent memory. I took the kids to the cross-country ski club to pick strawberries and I got at least a dozen beautiful pictures of them. Then I managed to find this gorgeous Jillibean Soup pp at Creative Accents to match Brenna's outfit (it even has strawberries in it, thanks, Sarah!), so I was pretty much set, but the journaling really had me stumped. At first I was going to write something like, "A perfect day is a day with you!" but that's just soooooooo not me. Well, after wracking my brain for ages, this is what I came up with:

I like the end result, and you know, if I wasn't entering this LO in a challenge, my journaling would have been more mundane, like who-what-when-where-type journaling.

I'm also entering this one in the August challenge for the Creative Accents Challenge Blog. They are asking for entrants to use some older products from their stash, and it can be anything, so you better join me on this one, because it doesn't get much easier than that! The pp base and daisy strip (love that, it's from a new piece of Sassafrass Lass paper!) are brand spankin' new, but everything else is at least a year old, and those chunks of cardstock are probably 5 years old!

Well, the boys are off camping in the alpine (hope they're okay, they didn't call to let me know what trail they're on or anything!) so it's been lovely and quiet here (except for Brenna stepping off a bed and falling flat on her face!) I've got a movie that I didn't think Jason would want to watch, and a glass of wine (if I can get the dang cork out, I'm pretty hopeless with those things) and date night is on! Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Supplies: Jillibean Soup, Cosmo Cricket, and Sassafrass Lass patterned paper, Bazzill cardstock, Close to My Heart stamp set, ink, cardstock, brads, and sticker, Prima and unknown flowers, Jolee's Boutique sticker, Sakura pen, Courier New font

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Card #9 - Kraftin' Kimmie and Paper Sundaes

Paper Sundaes had a sketch this week that I really liked, and I thought it would be perfect to use my new Kraftin' Kimmie stamp! Also, at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, they would like to see a creation with "distressing", so I was happy to distress my papers with my handy little CTMH edge distressor. As I've mentioned before, I don't have a whole lot of Copic markers, so I have to choose my paper carefully if I want my colouring to match. This scrap of Basic Grey left over from a LO a couple of posts ago matched pretty nicely, if I do say so myself. I made some booboos with my stamping and colouring, so I had to trim my fairy and hummingbird out. I made a mistake on her face (live and learn) which I see every time I look at it, but I really like how her wings turned out, so I guess I feel okay with the final result. Anyway, Ailis is invited to a Barbie tea party birthday party (try saying that 10 x fast!), so I said she could have this card to give to her little friend. I won't have to live with my mistakes long, haha! Looking forward to the weekend, hopefully the weather holds up! Now to catch up on all your posts! Big hugs, Roxy.

Supplies: CTMH cardstock, Prisma Glitter, and brads, Basic Grey pp, Kraftin' Kimmie stamp, Copic markers, Memento ink, Ranger Glossy Accents

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Layout #37 - From Screen 2 Scrap

Due to unforseen family circumstances, I am back from my "holiday" early, but not to worry, I did make it to Creative Accents (priorities, right?) and I only bought 6 pieces of patterned paper! Can you believe it, I really had to hold myself back, but I think I succeeded in only buying what I will need for the next 2 or 3 LO's. (I did indulge in a piece of Graphic 45 pixie paper, no idea what I'll do with it, but with 2 girls, I'm sure I'll find some use!) Anyway, one item on my mental list was a piece of music note paper to enter this month's challenge at From Screen 2 Scrap. The other criteria were to include some red and navy, and a two-tone title, so here's what I came up with:

Here's a close up of the title:

And of the journaling:

And here's the sketch I used from Page Maps, love it!

In my last post, I admitted to my patterned paper addiction, and many of you confessed that you suffer from the same affliction (surprise! Maybe there's a need for a support group, haha!) So I'm including this last photo so you can see what I do with my pp in order to retain some bits of a full sheet of precious beauty for scraps. What you see is the backside of my layout, with a rectangular chunk of Rose Moka taken out of the main sheet and some circles taken out of the Sassafrass Lass piece. I know, I'm pathetic, but I just can't help myself!

Supplies: Rose Moka, Sassafrass Lass, Cosmo Cricket, and Echo Park patterned paper, unknown cardstock, Close to My Heart ink (Outdoor Denim, White Daisy, Olive, Cranberry, and Crystal Blue) and stamp sets (Love This and Picture Perfect), Sakura white pen, unknown ribbon, staples, Cuttlebug machine and embossing folder

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Layout #36 - Sketchy Thursdays

Just a quick post for a quick page I whipped up last night and this morning. I'm heading to Williams Lake for the week for Nolan's hockey camp, so I won't be posting at all, but hopefully I'll be able to leave comments for you all still. Last year Jason took his holidays at this time, and we made a family trip out of it, and he did all the skate lacing, etc. But this year I'm on my own with the three kids. Well, I do have grandparent support, but still, it could be quite the challenge. I get to go to my fave LSS, Creative Accents, though! That's right, Tara, I'm coming to see you, so heads up! I'll be indulging my patterned paper fetish! Is there such a thing? If there is, I'm definitely afflicted! Case in point, I just HAD to have this piece of Basic Grey pp when I saw it, hmmm, three years ago (I even remember where I purchased it, see, I've got it bad!), and then I hoarded it and never used it! I resolve that from now on, I'm only going to buy a piece of pp for a project I have in mind or to match specific photos. Haha, let's see how long that lasts!

I really loved this sketch from Sketchy Thursdays when I first saw it, so I thought I'd better get in on the action.

It came together really quickly because I kept the embellishments very minimal. How do you like my homemade banner? I think that's my favorite part! I just used some background stamps, pink paper circles, and baker's twine. And I think I made a visual triangle of pink with the patterned paper, which wasn't exactly intentional, but whatever! I've had this page concept in mind for a while, because whenever we try to get a family photo, whatever the situation, it just never works out perfectly. It doesn't matter to me, though, I love the outtakes just as much as the good shots! Enjoy your week, everyone, and I'll see ya when I get back from my "holiday"!

Supplies: Basic Grey, Kaiser, and Beary Patch patterned paper, Creative Memories pink paper, Close to My Heart cardstock, ink, and stamps (Intrinsic Backgrounds, Noted Backgrounds, and Picture Perfect), baker's twine, staples

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