Paper Secrets Sketch (Anniversary Album)

Yesterday I got another page done in my parent's anniversary album.  This time I used the Paper Secrets AUgust 1 sketch.  Again I used the Simple Stories Documented papers with MME for a little punch of color.

Here is the sketch it is based off of:

I don't have a true word embellishment yet since I don't know what pictures are going to be on the page, but I do have the ampersand brad :)

Fluffy

Last week over at Practical Scrappers, the Tuesday post was on using washi tape.  So, I created this layout using the sketch over on Brenda's blog for this month.  It also fits the requirements for Kerys's challenge (3 patterned papers, washi, and twine).  The photo is of my youngest in her first cloth diaper - when she is just under 3 days old.  I used Authentique Uncommon with some MME Indie Chic washi for the layout.

Share Everything Except Bad Ideas

So, I think I hit a challenge max with this one, but I LOVE how it turned out.  And since three of the challenges are "supposed" to be combined, I don't feel so bad about having 5 challenges complete with one layout.  It started with the sketch from ScrapbookSteals - Peridot 4.  When I saw the three photos in the sketch, I quickly decided on these photos of my kids sharing the tricycle.  All three of them get to enjoy playing with it at once - although probably in different positions than most would expect.  Then I thought about Kerys's challenge.  The layers were obvious in the sketch, so it was easy to add the stars and stamps. Since some of the papers I chose already had stars, it was even easier :)  Then it was time to think about the title, and Rochelle's word art challenge along with Scrap Your Story's font challenge worked perfectly together.  The Share Everything was just perfect, and of course with the five words, I would use 5 alphas probably anyways.  Last is Kristi's logo challenge.  I wasn't sure I was going to include it, but when I had the spot on the bottom left that need an embellishment, the Radio Flyer logo was a perfect fix.  

For the details:  Papers are all 6x6 from MME, WP, and CP.  I used stamps twice - for the stars (I think they are Imagenisce, but I am not 100% sure) that I fussy cut and the word cute (MME Collectable).  The alphas are Thickers, Silhouette cut, and MLS tiny alphas.  I finished off the pinwheel with a Oriental Trading button and some Twinery Twine.  I have decided I need a date stamp after this layout, and I will add that to the bottom left.

Her Bible

So, scrapping mojo has been slightly lacking around here lately.  I will blame it on being busy for sure!  But, I was able to squeeze out this week's MWM over at ScrapbookSteals and incorporate one of their challenges  for NSD (#1 - "5").  The papters are a mix of AC Amy Tangerine, MME, and Authentique (Uncommon).  For the 5 things:
Word areas - Paper, title, journalling, and two groups of word stickers
Patterned Paper - Pink wood grain (MME), Grey text (A), Paper dolls (AC), Hot pink grid (AC), and pink with text circles (A).
Embellishments - Die cuts, button, brad, wahi, and stickers

Here is the wonderful Peridot 1 sketch:

Ready to Roll - Amber 10

I used my MME Collectable (Notable) prize from MME on this super fun layout from ScrapbookSteals.  Other than the Collectable goodies, I used some Target washi around the outside, some Bazzil cardstock for the base, AC Thickers for the title, a random brad (most likely Hobby Lobby brand) and our label printer.I loved working on each of the blocks - making them their own item.

Here is the wonderful Amber 10 sketch by Melodee:

And here are the links to my other Amazing Amber layouts:
Amber 1:
Amber 2
Amber 3
Amber 4
Amber 5a
Amber 5b
Amber 6
Amber 7
Amber 8
Amber 9

mates

I decided I should actually SCRAP our wedding pictures.  Just after we got married, but put them in an album with the basic journalling, but there wasn't anything other than pictures and journalling.  So, I am now going to go through them and scrap the scanned copies.  I decided to start with the ones of the "boys" and the "girls" since those are first ones actually taken.  And the current Paper Secrets sketch was perfect for the men.  Since our wedding colors were navy and pink (with white), I decided to use those for the layouts.  I used some Authentique Genuine, Echo Park Times and Seasons with a tiny bit of MME Follow Your Heart and Indie Chic (washi).  The ribbon is twill WRMK Sew Ribbon, which I thought worked perfectly with the grey Thickers (since I couldn't find any navy alphas in the right size unfortunately).  Since this one was the guys, I decided to only use pink the washi tape, keeping the layout fairly manly I think. 

And here is the sketch (via PageMaps)

{cousins}

This is my take on Amber 8 by Jessica L over at Scrapbook Steals.  The vertical and horizontal strips gave me the idea to pull out my hoarded scraps and make a rainbow weave with them.  (The current SWAT challenge is Dig Deep - using your hoarded items in a trendy way.)  The purple and orange are actually fairly new (Fall 2012 Nicki Silivis box), but that blue, green, and yellow are at least 2 years old (MME Hip Hooray and MLS Green and Simple Life .  The red if from last summer's MLS warehouse box (Sew Cute).  Then I pulled out my hoarded buttons and added some interest to where the papers cross.  Let's not talk about how many buttons I have in my stash!

The right side will get the journalling, but I don't want to post that online.  I might add something to the bottom right depending on how much I write.  I love how fast this layout came together - I put it together in less than 2 hours!

Here is the sketch:

Who Are You? (SS MWM Amber 7)

Here is a layout I did last week for ScrapbookSteals.  With the blog hop last weekend and then DT posts the last two days, I didn't get to blog it until today.

The photo is of my son and a friend the weekend they met.  This photo has such fun expressions on both boys' faces, that I thought it was perfect to scrap.  I used ME Alphabet Soup for this one, as I wanted some really "boy" papers, and the animals worked wellw ith the stuffed ones in the picture (and on their jammies).

I am entering this in the About a Boy challenge - Chevrons.

Can I Get Some Help - A LGS Reveal

I had fun doing this layout using MME Follow Your Heart plus little pieces of Stella and Rose and Lime Twist.  The photo is of my daughter trapped under two of her uncles. It was such a fun moment to capture on camera, so it was definitely worth a layout of its' own!

Here is the sketch it is based off of:

I am also entering this into two friends' challenges - Rochelle's colors and Kerys's recipe.

A Card and a Layout

I got two projects done this weekend.  I was going to post the layout yesterday, but it was SO windy here that I couldn't get a picture of it today.  And since I have DT projects to post tomorrow and Tuesday,  I decided to just post them together today since they are for a couple of challenges.

Let's start with the card.  This is for my husband's grandmother's birthday.  I took inspiration from the Paper Girls Challenge for the colors on this one.  And the design is based off of the current Unscripted Sketches sketch.  I Used MME Fun day  paper along with some solid cardstock, a MLS stamp, some WP trim, and a Stampin' Up stamp.  I colored the flower with Stampin Up colored pencils.  I am also entering it into the ScrapbookSteals MCM #16 - Stamp It.

As for the layout, this is based off of the Amber 5b sketch over at ScrapbookSteals by guest sketcher Michelle.  I used Authentique Loyal and Echo Park For the Record 2 for this cute layout of my son meeting one of his great grandma's.  Other than the base piece of kraft, all of the paper is scraps (for the About a Boy Challenge).  The colors worked perfectly for Rochelle's color challenge too (although my greens are a little darker).

Keep Calm & Ski On

Yesterday a new MWM sketch was debuted over at ScrapbookSteals.  Well, actually there were two since Guest Sketcher Michelle King decided to wow us with an extra one.  I decided to work with 5a to begin with, and quickly realized I wanted to use the Crate Paper Lillian papers I had out for another project I had just finished up.  They were perfect for the S.W.A.T. color challenge, so I got to work planning the layout.  The only problem - I didn't have any 12x12 pieces left!  So, I did something I had considered for a long time.  I took the MWM sketch and made it part of another sketch!  This week's Unscripted Sketches was perfect to pair with the MWM layout.  I made the MWM part an 8.5x8.5 square (as that was about as large as I could with what I had), and then used other scraps to finish the layout off.

 I am really loving rosettes these days, and this one worked perfectly to hide a little punching mishap.

The title is inspired by Brenda's March challenge - using the works Keep Calm &... on your layout.  

Here are the two sketches and the color scheme:

Quick Manly Birthday Card

I whipped up this birthday card earlier this week for my brother-in-law.  I had forgotten his birthday is also this week (same as my husband's), so I had to do a quick card for him.  I had these A Loyal papers out for another project, so I put them to work.  I then added an MME die cut, stamped happy birthday, and added some twine and brads to finish it off.  The design is based off of the March sketch over at Artful Delight.

Make Shift Drive In Movie

 Here is my most recent creation - a layout for both ScrapbookSteals MWM (Amber 4 from the sketch by Bev Code) and for About a Boy (Hoarders).

The photo is of my son watching SuperWhy over Christmas.  We were staying in a house that didn't have any working TVs, so my husband was able to turn a show on for him one afternoon on his phone so he could relax.  And he lined up his brand new Cars cars to watch with him.

The circle paper is from MMW Abbey Road that I have had for 2+ years.  The orange and green papers are scraps from AC Amy Tangerine that I have had for just over a year.  The blue and argyle papers are MME Fine and Dandy 6x6 (almost 2 years old).  The green washi is over a year old (Studio G), but the other two I got this year.

 As for the embellishments, all but the flair (Paper Play Studio) are over a year old.  The police car and frieght truck are buttons I got 2 years ago for Christmas.  The stars I got in a swap box over a year ago, and I think the green button is from a Christmas collection (FP) I bought 2 years ago (and if not, it is from another FP collection I bought over a year ago).

The alphas on the other hand are new.  I don't have a ton of alphas that I hoard really - well, not enough for these words at least!

And here is the sketch:

4 generations

When I saw this month's first Paper Secrets challenge, I knew I wanted to scrap this pair of photos.  It is of my oldest with one parent, grandma, and one of grandma's parents - making for 4 generations.  With the photos in hand, I new I wanted to use some blue, so I went through my blue paper drawers and stumbled on the MLS paper with the flowers.  It wasn't what I had originally thought of in my head, but it worked perfectly!  Then i pulled out some more blue papers (MME and Lily Bee) along with the orangy pink paper from Crate Paper.  For embellishments, I used a white doily, a Paper Play Studio flair, some MME washi, three Stampin Up brads,  EP and NS stickers, and some twine (Twinery).  The alphas are WP and Thickers.

 And here is the sketch:

Easy Spring Wreath - a UIT Reveal!

Well, it is time for a nother Use It Tuesday Reveal!  This time we are asking you to use die cuts, punches, and/or cut outs for a project.  The only rules are your have to use some hoarded supplies in your project AND mention Use It Tuesday n your post.

And as a little extra "bonus" - it turns out that My Minds Eye has a similar challenge going on - they are asking that you use die cuts and MME products for a project.

I do have a ton of MME die cuts hanging around, and I knew I wanted to think outside of the box for this challenge.  I knew the other members of the UIT design team would rock out stunning cards and layouts, so I wanted to mix up our reveal with something different.  So, I decided to make a wreath.  I had made a fall wreath in October, so I thought it was only fitting to make a spring one now.  So, I went looking on line for some wreathe ideas, and came across a bunch of clothespin ones.  So, I ordered two pags of clothes pins from Oriental Trading and waited for them to show up.  A day or two before they arrived, I went through my MME die cuts and pulled out some spring ones for the banner across the middle.  The "Spring" is Lime Twist and the others are Alphabet Soup - both lines that are way over a year old.  Then, when the clothespins arrived, I flipped through my 6x6 pads for the papers to cover them.  I thought about doing a totally random mash up of papers from lots of lines, and then I saw an Miss Caroline pad I hadn't even touched - perfect!  The clothes pins are all out of 2 sheets of that - using both sided.  Then I made the banner using 2 more sheets of the wood grained paper.  I attached the banner pieces with some twine I had almost a year ago and hadn't even opened yet.  I finished it off with a bow, only because my 5yo saw some of the ones online and demanded it have a bow!  I would have just added a few more clothes pins in and found another way to hang it probably otherwise.  Total the project took me about 2 hours - not made at all!  The longest part was cutting the papers and then mod podging them on the clothespins.  Once that was done, it was super easy to finish up!

Today Reading Tomorrow Leading - SS Amber 2

Time for another fun sketch over at Scrapbook Steals.  This week's Amber 2 by Kerys was so much fun to work with.  I started by picking the pictures and then digging through my die cut papers to see if I had any circle ones with the "right" colors.  And it turns out I had a piece of MLS Sew Easy worked perfectly.

 Then I dug through my turquoise paper (yes, it has its own drawer...), thinking I would find some more MLS paper that worked perfectly.  Well, I ended up with some MME Lush instead.  Then I went looking for a pink color.  Again, I thought I would end up with MLS, but I ended up with some A Uncommon.  I loved that it had the grey in it soo, as it gave me another color to work with.  I had thought about using ribbon or sewing, but the right colors just weren't there, and the Uncommon was just perfect.  From there I went to the washi at the bottom.  I ended up having the perfect colors - some Studio G (blue) and MME Indie Chic.

 For the embellishments, I just got the Sweet Stamp Shoppe wood grain stamps in the mail as I was workingo n this.  I decided the circles would be a great embellishment.  I found some blue and grey paper to use for thsoe and then paired it with some A Uncommon paper that I just punched to highlight the pattern.   Then I dug through my brad stash for a variety in the right colors.

 Then it was on to the title.  I searched for a quote about reading.  I found "Today a reader, tomorrow a leader."  And then I went to print out reader to stitch it, and some how ended up with reading.  But, Today Reading Tomorrow Leading works almost as well :)  With the shorter title, I added some washi at the top for some balance.

Some Cards and an Upcoming Blog Hop

I got two birthday cards done this weekend - one for a nephew turning 9 and one for my dad.  The first one i used the S.W.A.T. sketch.  The papers are solid cardstock and MME FunDay.  I used the You are... sentiment inspired by ScrapbookSteals MCM.

The second card I used the Practical Scrappers February card sketch and some MME Sweater Weather (6x6).  This is the one for my dad who loves to ski, etc.

And finally, this weekend is going to be an amazing blog hop!  Let's Get Sketchy is celebrating its' first birthday!  There will be lots of prizes and fun, so come back on Friday to see the fun!

learning - A LGS Reveal

 This week's amazing sketch over at Let's Get Sketchy is by the amazing Bev Code.  I love that it has a mix of hexagons, banners, and arrows!

I recently sorted my papers by color, and decided I had a TON of blue papers.  So, I started this layout looking through my drawer with turquoise paper.  I was immediately drawn to the gingham paper with the pink, blue, and green on it (the back side is a blue and white polka dot).  Then I remembered Rochelle's color challenge for this month, and thought I could really make this work!  I pulled out some of my MLS papers to go with the MME Hip Hooray paper and the dug out a piece of light pink NS paper to use for my hexagons.  For the banner, I just used scraps of the hexagons - each triangle is about 1/6th of a hexagon - and stitched them together with twine.

For the arrows, I decided to try stamping them.  I made an arrow template out of scrap cardstock, and then I used my MME border stamp and the three colors of ink to make the arrows.  I topped them off with a piece of the gingham paper and some twine to bring it all together.   The journalling is about what I have learned from my kids - how they have made me grow in the last 5+ years.   The first ever S.W.A.T challenge made me dig deep and really think about myself.

For the embellishment cluster, I used some Crate Paper pieces mostly as well as a few other random pieces I could find.  The title I cut using my Silhouette and the French script font.