Christmas card!

So I've been busy making Christmas cards for a few weeks now, and I'm really having fun this year!  I started with a workshop by Close to My Heart to make 15 cards.  I don't have the pics on my computer so those will have to be in a separate post.  But after I did those, I switched gears and headed to pinterest for some inspiration. I'm making some for a friend, and I am just in love with this card I made!  Oh and I'm linking it up to the Christmas card challenge #48-Bows from SparkleCreations.

 Oh how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways!  Embossed snowflakes with silver & dutch blue, cute snowflake brad, beautiful ribbon I got for a dollar, and subtle snowflakes stamped on blue cardstock with white daisy ink (ctmh).

The stamp sentiments "Jesus" as well as the inside ones are from Verve Stamps.  I am SO happy I found that site!  Christian stamps!   Anyway, hope you like this card as much as I do (and actually, I hope my friend loves it too).

Greatest view sketch contest

Hey everyone,

Just posting a quick one to show off a super funky layout I did.  I've had this paper pack and crazy feather embellishments for a while, but being that I am kind of an earth-tone, low-key person, I've been afraid to go near them.  Then Pagemaps came out with the Greatest view sketch contest, and that was the push I needed! 

So a little background on the pictures.  We went to Port Discovery, which if you've never been and you have small children, go!  It's a bit overwhelming though, so it can get a bit crazy.  Well one minute my girls were playing quietly and deep in thought, and another they were shouting and exploding with emotions and energy!  Always an exhausting trip, but well worth it because they just have so many cool things at that place. 

All of these papers are SEI, as are the embellishments (swirl clip, feathers, journal card, sparkly butterfly).  Oh and the flower is my new favorite thing to make!  Layered cardstock that's distressed and pinned together with a brad. 

There you have it, my layout that is WAY outside my box!

Stash Challenge # 8- tic tac toe!

Hey everyone, another scrap your stash challenge to get my creativity going!  I've been wanting to do this layout for a while after seeing something like it on pinterest, and so when I came across the tic tac toe challenge I knew it was time to get to work!  

I went with the "tic" column, using washi tape, a journaling card, and 6 brads.

 

The background paper is Bo Bunny, and the strips are MME, except for the grey polka dot. That's the washi!  Then there are two brad clusters (including the center of a couple paper flowers from CTMH), and the journaling card is right in the middle! 

I love this Bo Bunny paper, because it looks like I splattered ink on it, but that's the paper!  It's a technique I need much work on.  And the Before and After was cut with my cricut, while the & is an MME sticker.

This was the first ever layout of myself, but they are special pics from when I had my hair done by the Garnier stylists!  Love how this layout turned out, it's exactly what I wanted.  Thanks for stopping by!

scrap our stash sketch challenge # 7

Hey everyone,

Made a FUN layout with the scrap our stash sketch challenge # 7.  Not sure how I stumbled across their site, but I love it, and loved getting creative for this sketch:










In addition to the sketch, the other rule was we had to use chipboard.  What a coincidence, because I had some cute chipboard under my desk that wasn't being used for anything!

Here's my interpretation:

Paper is MME- Miss Caroline, chipboard from CTMH, paper flowers are also CTMH, and random button, twine and pearls added

 

 See the butterfly?  I used Pebbles chalk and a stencil to sneak that in there.  :)  Okay that's all for now!

Pagemaps sketch contest for Basicgrey Capture

Hola peeps, today I have a really lighthearted layout to show.  As always, Pagemaps was awesome inspiration for me.  I swear the best layouts I've created are because of their sketches.  Of course, the prizes are great motivation too.  One day I'm going to win one!!

So here is the sketch I had to work with:












So I shouldn't work so late at night, but that's when I usually have my free time, so I made a bit of an oopsie. The hideaway journaling card should be on the right, but I glued down the wrong side so mine is on the left.  hehehe.  and I cut my striped paper the wrong way, but it still turned out great, IMO:

I used my cricut to cut out a circle frame that says "Oh happy day".  I originally had that cut for a card, but I didn't need it, so this was a perfect use.  And the mat that the pics are on are embossed with my cuttlebug.  It needed a little extra something, and that was it. :)

Love the title, I have little word stickers from MME. 

I always seem to use a mix of supplies.  This is an MME/SEI mixture.  Oh and can you see I stitched the flag strip?  My first time using a sewing machine for stitching!  I don't have thick enough thread, but I was so happy with the result even with the thin thread I had.  And I haven't used a sewing machine since middle school, so I had to get a refresher lesson from my mom. haha.

Off to sleep.  I actually had time to do some scrapbooking earlier today so I think I'm calling it an early night tonight. 

MME August Sketch Challenge!

Shew, why does it always seem like I am in a hurry to get something posted before I can go to bed?  Oh, maybe because I can only do any scrapping after the girls are asleep.  Well, time flies when you are scheduling too many things into the days! hee hee.  And that's definitely been how my summer has been.  But every now and then I get to slow down for a minute and enjoy the little things.  Like the girls playing outside with a bit of water.  Yes, just a bit.  That's apparently all they need to be happy.  Fine by me! 

Here's the MME August sketch challenge:

And here's my take:

 Close-up:

 

My photography is really off tonight.  I think next time I'll make it a point to take pics during the day.  Anyway, you get the point.  Supplies used: MME Kate & co Oxford Lane collection.  Love the colors, they tie in with the kiddie pool and water table we have.  Of course, I am all about the color pink (so sue me, I'm a girl), so to match Cassia's dress I threw in a bow brad from the MME cambridge court collection, plus some pink glimmer mist for the page.  The blue & yellow brads are also from cambridge court.

Okay that's all I got.  Off to bed to prepare for another busy day tomorrow!

Pagemaps Bo Bunny Anthem sketch contest

Hey peeps, quick post to get my layout up for the Pagemaps Bo Bunny Anthem sketch contest.  Loved the sketch, and I love love love bo bunny, so fingers crossed this wins the judges over!

The sketch:


My take:

I made a couple changes, using that adorable little birdie instead of a stitched heart.  A lot of the products are close to my heart (dream paper pack, stella complements canvas shapes, the orange pennant is from the dream pop paper pack).  The paper I used for my journaling is actually from imaginisce, and so is the green log-looking paper. 

That's all folks!

My Mind's Eye July Sketch Challenge

I'm typing this in the dark and trying to be quiet so I don't wake up my husband.  He's most likely exhausted from heroicly saving me from a thousand-legger in the bathroom a little while ago.  So I'm still too creeped out to get in bed, hence the late night post.

This is my first MME challenge, and it was really hard for me!  I am all about layers, and this layout is so beautifully simple.  So I had to resist every urge I had not to over-do it. 

Here's the sketch:


And here's my take:

 I used 6x6 paper from the MME collectable line (notable) and cut out 3 inch flowers with a punch, plus a pennant.  I also cut out strips of arrows on the right side, and for the nifty arrows on the left I had a 12x12 sheet of MME My girl, and cut out individual arrows. 

All the pretty embellishments are chipboard pieces from MME collectable, and a couple brads too.

I had the scissors and "haircut" made months ago and waiting to be used, and this layout called them out! 

Okay, I think I can now attempt to go to sleep, though I may have nightmares tonight!

Cocoa Daisy sketch challenge AND Bo Bunny July challenge!

Greetings everyone!  What a busy weekend.  Swim class for Olivia, gymboree for Cassia, laundry, house cleaning, groceries, church, seeing the musical Annie at the Chesapeake Arts Center, and somehow doing a DOUBLE layout! 

As luck would have it, this double layout works for two contests.  One side is for the Page Maps Cocoa Daisy sketch challenge, and the other side is for the Bo Bunny July layout challenge.  Both turned out awesome, in my humble opinion.  :)

The Page Maps contest which ends tonight, was to create a layout based on the following sketch:



I had a HARD time with those circles, and I didn't do any stitching because my skill level is just not there yet (plus I don't have a sewing machine, gasp!), but I still think my page turned out great:

I had 4th of July pics that I knew would be perfect for such a fun sketch, and I'd just gotten the Bo Bunny Anthem papers and chipboard pieces in the mail so the timing was great.  I used my cricut to cut the circles and the Red White & Blue title, and embellished with buttons, ribbon, burlap, flowers and chipboard.  Oh I also tried spritzing with re-inker, but I need a bit of practice.  :)

 

Love the flowers, and the middles are ctmh brads.  Oh and that powder blue star all the way on the right?  That was a last minute addition...blue embossing powder and a star stamp.  Very happy with the results. 

 

Next up is the other side of the layout (my personal favorite), the Bo Bunny July challenge.  No sketch with this one, we just had to incorporate banners somehow.  So I free-styled it and came up with this:

Notice the circles on the right?  That's the paper I had leftover from punching circles for the other layout, plus a couple red polka dot pieces layered in.  Fun fun!

 

Here's the main banner, I love the Bo bunny chipboard pieces.  So easy to dress up a page!  And the firework there is from my cricut. 

 

This has to be my favorite pair of pictures ever!  I just love Cassia's expression, totally What The....?? And then only Mommy was good enough! (notice my little subtitle there?  ha ha love the irony)

 

The top left needed a little something so it got a mini banner, and I embossed a tan piece of cardstock and highlighted some of the flowers in red to look like fireworks.  OH and at the last minute I remembered I had a star stamp, and I used my embossing powder to emboss it.  Love how it turned out!

 

And here is the pair together. 

That's all for now!  Stay tuned for another layout soon.  Actually there might be a few, I've got a CKC weekend coming up and multiple classes.  Can't wait!!

Shape it up card challenge!

Hola everyone.  Wanted to post a card I made last night for the Pagemaps Shape it up card challenge, sponsored by Bo Bunny.  We had to make a card based on this sketch:



So here is my take:

I adore this paper by American Crafts.  I bought some for my daughter's 1st birthday decorations, and I had extra.  I used Close to my Heart stamps for the cupcake and thanks word bubble, plus their shimmer trim and blue ribbon, pink embroidery floss and lagoon and tulip inks.  The bling bling, well not sure where that came from.  :)  I am a bling bling hoarder!

I popped the cupcake up with 3-D tape.  You can't go wrong with that stuff!

 

Thanks for looking.  :)

Color suite challenge

Hello everyone!  Today's contest, by pagemaps and Echo Park Paper co., is a color suite challenge!  This is my first challenge where I had to use specific colors.  The color palette was gray, yellow, pink, deep blue and green.  Interesting combo!!   Here's the link to the contest: http://www.pagemaps.blogspot.com/2013/05/colour-suite-challenge-prize.html

Here are the colors:


And the sketch to follow:



















So my layout is ont he simple side because time got away from me (okay, I spent waaay too much time on the last layout).  But I still like the results, and I actually stayed really close to the sketch and didn't go crazy on bits and pieces like I normally do!

The grey paper is from an awesome paper pack by close to my heart. 



 These are two of my favorite pictures from our recent photo shoot with the girls:

 I got to play with my embossing powder for the flower detail:

There you have it!