:: a layout about me ::

I am loving playing along at CSI : Color, Stories, Inspiration! One of the things I love about the place is that a new case is introduced on Friday, and then you have over a week to complete it -- which means, two weekends, which I often need! This week was no exception. As soon as I saw this case last Friday (March 22), I knew I wanted to participate. The colors are fantastic! I even knew which photo I was going to use. If you are interested in playing along with this case, you have until midnight, and the new case (no due until next Sunday) has already been introduced, here. I think you will find the colors and inspiration equally yummy. Check it out! 

I also used the March sketch it out challenge (club CK) sketch from the great Ashley Horton!  So, here's my layout, and boy did I have fun!

After printing my photo, I realized it was too...ummm...white, had too much contrast, something, it just didn't look right! So, I reprinted, this time on vellum -- umm, yeah, way better and a fun change. I had gathered a bunch of papers together before beginning, and I did start with them, but I quickly decided I wanted to get my hands dirty. So, I grabbed a few 4x6 photo papers, and another neutral patterned paper with some words on it, then I grabbed some spray inks and made my own paper. Also VERY fun (they are the ones peeking out from behind the photo)! 

I used some more vellum and stamped a bunch of words on it...also used a wood veneer camera as a stamp, and stamped on the vellum! (see why I had so much fun with this one?) I used a stencil to cut out the word, "ME" and then put the vellum behind it. This was after trying several other things first, but I'm glad it lead me to this final product.

You'll notice that I used some orange, which isn't included in the lovely color scheme provided by CSI. But, how could I do a layout about ORANGE GEARLE, without using orange?!?!

Hope you had a great {holiday, if you celebrate it} weekend!

Scrap Your Story :: let's go fly a kite

It's Friday, which means another reveal day at Scrap Your Story Challenge Blog!  It has been so exciting to see what everyone has be linking up!  Hope you link up this week!

This week the challenge is to use some cork on your layout!  I used cork letters for "fly a KITE", and I also punch a circle out of cork (it's behind the "B" ormolu flair).

I stepped out of my comfort zone a bit this week and did some hand stitching on my layout. I've done (and am addicted to) machine sewing -- but I've never used a pattern, poked holes, used a needle, the whole shebang! In a Scrapbook Circle Add on kit I got this awesome stitching kit from Amy Tangerine's Yes, Please line.  So, I used 'em! Then I dry brush painted a little bit of spray ink to add a little more color and show off that stitching a bit (it was a little lost with all that lovely chevron).

Lovin' me some flair from A Flair for Buttons!  I also added a spot for hidden journaling.  I used some washi tape to add some color -- the actual journaling spot is kraft. Then I used an Ali Edwards stamp "Tell the Story", which comes from the March Studio AE stamp set "This Story" available at Technique Tuesday.

Some layers, more AE stamping, and Amy Tangerine stitching.  :-) 

Did you know that Scrap Your Story has a facebook page??  Check it out here.

I'm also linking this layout up at Paper Issues :: Up In The Clouds! 

Scrap Your Story Challenge #4 :: iCousins

It's Friday which means a new challenge is up at Scrap Your Story Challenge Blog! It has been so fun to participate in these challenges over the last month. If you haven't checked out the challenges yet, you should give it a looksy. As a reminder the challenges go like this...

Week 1: Use it
Week 2: Theme
Week 3: Sketch
Week 4: Technique

This week's challenge is to do some embossing somewhere on your layout...dry...heat...doesn't matter, whatever works for you, just give this technique a try!

Here's my reveal:

And here's the sketch I used:

I flipped it a bit.  This sketch is the March Sketch over at Scrap Happy, a community of scrappers that are....well, happy :-).  And welcoming.  And fun. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I recently joined the Scrap Happy community. I will likely mention them again, since so far so good with the happiness! LOL

The close-ups :

I incorporated the challenge (embossing) in two ways. First of all I heat embossed the three vellum circles. I used a mask and VersaMark embossing ink, and then white Zing! embossing powder (and my heat gun).  (By the way...I totally stole this idea from an Ashley Horton sneak that I saw on Instagram! I'll link to her layout when it goes live later this month)!

The second way was on the journaling spot. I used both white Zing! and some clear embossing powder around the edges, and then the clear only for my journaling lines. I like this look and I'll probably do it again!

Almost everything else I used came from the Scrapbook Circle February Kit! I really enjoyed working with the Glitz Color Me Happy line included in this kit. It's so bright, colorful and...well....happy. I also ordered the two add-on kits, one of which included the awesome blue card stock used in this layout! The awesome circle cut behind the main photo is from the Silhouette store (background lace circle by Karla Dudley). The letters are fabric Thickers, that I misted with peach Heidi Swapp Color Shine. And the flair, oh the flair....you guessed it A Flair for Buttons!

:: news, other funness and a layout ::

As promised I'm back with some news...and other funness.  I know, funness isn't a word.  It autocorrects every time I type it. Annoying.  :-) On with it...

First, the news:  I am going to be a grandmother again! My oldest daughter, H., is going to have a baby in early October! I have known pretty much since she has (Feb. 1st -- which is  really long time (for me) to keep a secret)! She has now had an ultrasound, and all is well, so I've been informed that it is now "Facebook Official", which means, I can also announce it here!  I am so excited for our whole family. Baby's are good, and we needs some good!

Other funness #1: I finally took the plunge and joined the Scrap Happy community! It has 'the happiest scrapbookers on the web' (so I've heard)! I've participated in a few events that Lain Ehmann has hosted/organized/etc. and that is what lead me to Scrap Happy.  If you haven't heard about it, you should check it out here. I've only just begun to participate, but so far it's rather enjoyable.  :-)

Goal update: (I would also say this is more funness, but then autocorrect steps in...) I talked about my goals a bunch here and here.  March is nearly finished and I haven't updated my February goals! The Pinterest challenge for February was met by making some really awful cookies!  LOL  I made some good ones, too, but the worst where these three ingredient peanut butter cookies (they were still eaten, so...). Major FAIL. Oh well, I won't make them again, instead I will make these (more than three ingredients, but all the fat, sugar, and yumminess required for good cookies). I also met my photoshop/photography goal...more on that in another post!

A layout: I find that since I have been purchasing kits, I usually work out of a kit for the most part...leaving all the lovelies that I have in my stash behind. This is especially true when it comes to patterned papers! I've been stalking CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration for probably over a year, but until this year I've never actually submitted anything! I know, right? I really have no idea why. In fact, when I submitted a layout for the first time, I was shocked that I didn't have anything in my gallery there (because I hadn't submitted anything, and I didn't even realize it)! I think I've always had so many other things going on, that even when I see an awesome case, by the time I get to it, I know I won't get done in time to submit, so I don't do it. Silly. I love recipe-type challenges! Why haven't I done them more? Ok, ok...getting to my point. The point is, I've submitted a few now, (this week's is on my desk waiting to be finished), and I find that I have to venture out of the kits, and into my stash more often, which is nice. I will be doing this much more often.  Here is challenge for last week (it came with a sketch):

As soon as I saw the sketch I knew that I wanted to use these photos that my One True Love took at B.'s first park visit of 2013.

I apologize, the red looks orange in this photo, but really, I did match the colors!  ;-) I painted, I embossed on vellum, I gesso-ed,  I used a mask with alcohol inks, I used washi over patterned paper before cutting circles, whew...there is a lot going on here.  Truth be told, this isn't one of my favorites. I almost didn't share it. But it isn't horrible, just missing something, or something. It's done, it's recorded and I've moved on.  ;-) AND I used up some stuff from my stash!

Tomorrow is Friday...you know what that means...another reveal at Scrap Your Story!  Here's my sneaky sneak...

See you back here tomorrow for the reveal!

:: bloglovin ::

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Scrap Your Story Challenge :: my lucky charms

YAY!  It's Friday!  That means a new challenge goes live on the Scrap Your Challenge Blog.  Each month we follow this challenge schedule:

Week 1: Use it (you will be given an item you must incorporate).

Week 2: Theme (your layout and/or photos needs to show this theme).

Week 3: Sketch (flip it, rotate it, tweak it...as long as we can see the basics there).

Week 4: Technique (we will describe/show a technique you must include somewhere). 

This is challenge number three of the month so it involves a sketch! 

Here's Christy's sketch:

And here is my take on the sketch :

I don't do very many themed LOs, I'm more of a every day sorta memory keeper, but this photo from a couple of years ago needed to be showcased!

I found this four leaf clover overlay by Skyber Lowen while browsing the Silhouette online store and was inspired to use it as a mask. Then I decided that I wanted to create something that incorporated the Irish flag. 

First, I copied (and pasted) the 6x6 overlay and stuck them together to make a 6x12 cut. It took some time to get all the settings right but finally I got this:

Beautiful, right?  See why I had to use it??!!!!! Then I got out my mists and a piece of white card stock.  I used a couple different greens and tried to ombre it a bit, then I did the same on the other side with orange. OK, it's true, you caught me. Really, I just wanted to make a flag so I could get some orange in there...but it works for me. ;-) I ended up covering it up with the photograph, but there is a little overspray (very little) in the middle, so you can actually see the mask on the white part, but it still looks white! This is good to know in case I decide to do something like this in the future!  Next, I took out some Heidi Swap color shine (in two colors) for the splotches of paint in the lower left and upper right  corners. I like the shine, but I didn't want it on the whole page, plus this helped the dots of color stand out a bit more, I was thinking.  Then I let it dry for a couple of days. (mostly I needed thinking time)!

I decided that I wanted to try to bring out the gold in B's hat,  and I've been hoarding this Crate Paper Vellum with gold dots since December, so I decided it was time to use it! Next I found some awesome glittery gold card stock and I used that behind the photo. LOVE.  I was really digging all the gold so I found gold glitter and gold washi from my stash.  (The washi was in my stash, but can you believe I didn't have any gold glitter??? What is wrong with me!??!! Thank goodness I am only a few blocks from Target)!

I found some DIYthickers and added the gold glitter for a perfect touch!

I used some foam dots to pop the word "lucky" and added some lilybee design abcs for "my" and "charms". I love how the title turned out!

Speaking of love...I got this awesome flair in a happy mail package from Aimee Maddern! Wanna know a secret? I also got the green arrow washi. It wasn't part of the giveaway, but she used it in the packaging and I reused it! I know, right? ;-) I added some other washi, some enamel dots, and a fabric tag that I misted to complete the cluster.

for some reason some of these photos look like the orange could be red...there is no red...it's all orange

I hope you consider playing along with us at Scrap Your Story! This sketch was fun to use.

Coming soon : some news :-), a PL update, and some other funness. 

Later taters!

:: new look & new content ::

My blog has a new look! I have had the same look since starting this blog a year and a half ago, and I thought it was time for a change! I've been wanting something different for a while now and I've kept my eyes out for something, but haven't found it until now. This weekend I downloaded some digital paper from VN Digital Art on Etsy and used that as my background. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted it! The papers that I downloaded almost make me want to take up digital scrapbooking (almost)!

I thought I'd give you a heads up on a couple of new pages that I've added to the blog with this new look. I've added a couple of tabs at the top, linking to new orange spaces. One is a page that contains my gallery. The content included is limited to recent one and two page layouts. At this time it does not include mini-books, Project Life or other projects, just my LOs. The second tab contains completely new material. I've started creating sketches in photoshop so that I can more easily share them. Up until now I have only (literally) sketched in my sketch book, really rough, and not sharable! Little by little I hope to be able to add more of my own sketches to this tab (right now there are only two). Feel free to pin them, tweak them and use them.  I only ask that you credit and link back to my blog. I would also love it if you would share your layouts with me if you use one of my sketches (but not required, of course). It's always fun to see another person's take on your work.

Finally, the second challenge at Scrap Your Story Challenge blog went up on Friday! This design team thing has been fun! This week's challenge can be found here. Hope you join us!

I'm working on a couple of posts for this week, and next week is full of fun (spring break). 

Peace out! See you again soon!

..::happy birthday, bug::..

Today our sweet Mikaela would have turned three years old.  We miss you, Bug.

Scrap Your Story Challenge :: pad-a-killars and butterflies

Welcome to my orange space! I have a new layout up at Scrap Your Story.  This week's challenge is to incorporate the theme of "animals" in some way.  I knew right away I wanted to scrap these photos from almost a year ago.

Fun with paint, papers and photographs!  Most of my papers are from the February Scrapbook Circle kit -- a complete list of supplies linked below.

These photos were taken last April.  B. had gotten a bug kit (net, magnifying glass and cage) for Easter and we took this lovely day to go outside and explore. The journaling (that is written in the circle of paint) reads, "You are so curious!  I love watching you learn about the world. We got lucky today and found a bunch of different kinds of critters.  You are quite the scientist.  The Easter Bunny brought you the perfect toys!" 

Here are a few closeups:

 I "popped" the title with pop dots.

 My journaling goes along the painted circle.

I also stamped a few items around the circle. Can you believe that I was an enamel dot virgin until this layout!?

I made a *real* sketch before making this layout. I've decided that when I like a basic design of a layout, I will share a sketch of it on my blog as well. I often, more literally, "sketch" out a LO before actually sitting down and putting it together. I have a notebook that I keep pretty close by most of the time and I use it for various things, including a quick sketch. This time, however, I sat down with Photoshop and made a *real* one to share with you!  Enjoy, pin, and use!  ;-)

Supplies Used :: 

October Afternoon :: Midway :: Ringtoss
Bazzill Basics :: African Daisy
Lily Bee Design :: Happily Lost :: Stroll
Pink Paislee :: Hometown Summer :: Summer Fun
American Crafts :: Everyday :: Rose Brad
My Mind's Eye :: The Sweetest Thing :: Enamel Dots
Crate paper :: Phrase Stickers
October Afternoon :: Sidewalks :: Word Stickers
Silhouette Cameo

StazOn Ink :: Jet Black

Xyron Tape Runner

:: sneak & stuff ::

Tomorrow is the second challenge reveal at Scrap Your Story.  You have until 11:59 (CST) tonight to enter your LO for challenge number one, please do! 

I thought you might want to see a little sneakity sneak...

Yep, that's paint...fun!  See you back here tomorrow for the reveal!

P.S. We registered B. for four-year old preschool.  Starts August 26th, which just happens to have been her due date.

TTFN!

Scrap Your Story Challenge #1

Welcome to my little orange space! If you are here for the One Little Word blog hop -- it can be found here!  But I would love it if you would check this challenge out too!  ;-)

On Monday I announced that I was selected to be part of the Design Team for the Scrap Your Story Challenge blog, and today is the first reveal!  Here is my layout for this challenge :

The challenge this week is to "use" just one photo.  Easy peasy!  I have done several "one photo" layouts recently (which is actually kind of unusual for me), but I wanted to add my own little challenge for myself into the mix. So, I decided to use one big photo.  I don't have a 12x12 printer, or easy access to that, so I just made it as big as I could (printed at home)!

Since B. is in the bathtub, I wanted to make something look "water-ish" (that's a word, right?)!  I took a strip of paper and some strips of vellum and cut them all wavy-like, then I stitched over them in waves as well.  FUN!  Another fun element is the "peek a boo"cutout.  I did this with my new Silhouette Cameo (and a little help from my iPad).  It's my own handwriting that I converted into a cut file.  If there is an interest, I could easily do a tutorial on how I made that happen.  Leave me a comment saying you'd like it, and I will!

Here are a few more close up shots:

I hope you all join in the challenge.  Look for all the details and how to link up, here.  Each week a "top three" will be chosen from the entries, and at the end of the month one lucky participant (chosen from all participants for the whole month - which means if you do all four challenges, your name will go in four times!) will will the following prize:

Whether this is your first visit to my blog or you've visited before, I would love to have you back! You can follow me by clicking "join this site" in the sidebar.  Comments always welcome!

Supplies Used :: 

pebbles :: seen and noted :: checklist

pebbles :: seen and noted :: take note

jillibean soup ::country pumpkin chowder :: cream style corn

technique tuesday :: studio AE stamps :: super fantastic

a flair for buttons :: my life words 2 :: fun

october afternoon :: midway :: designer brads

freckled fawn :: wide chevron washi :: aqua

freckled fawn :: chevron washi :: orange

freckled fawn :: wood chips :: speech bubbles

Claudine Hellmuth Studio Semi-Gloss Acrylic Paint -- classic teal

Studio Calico :: Mister Huey Spray :: pinstripe

lilybee design :: this and that :: cardstock alpha stickers

Tim Holtz :: Tiny Attacher

Martha Stewart :: 1.5 inch circle punch :: all over the page

Grafix Vellum Paper

StazOn Ink :: Jet Black

Xyron Tape Runner

Singer Tradition Sewing Machine

:: OLW March Blog Hop ::

Hello! Welcome to the March 1st One Little Word Blog Hop! 

Did you come from Jackie's place?  You are in the right place! Thank you for viewing my part of the world for a bit! 
Feel free to look around -- but orange colored glasses are required! If you enjoy your stay, feel free to click the "follow button on the sidebar to the right!  I would love to have you visit my part of the blogosphere again!
A complete list of participating blogs are listed at the bottom of this post. 

Let's get to the photo:

Favorite Part ::  the process and the tree.
confession #1 :: I wouldn't have finished this project (by March) if it weren't for the blog hop!
confession #2 :: I didn't really finish it in February (as I type this it is nearly 1:00 AM on March 1.
confession #3 :: It's still wet!!

I used an 8.5x11 piece of chipboard (I think??) that came as packaging or something!  I keep things, I find things, I use things, I don't always know what they are.  :-)  I black gesso-ed (that's a word, right?) over the whole thing as my base, then while it was still wet I painted over it with teal -- this way some of the black is still visible. That was my base, then I just started adding stuff!

Over the last month I have been on the look out for items in magazines to use for this project. Then over the last week or so, I've been ripping them out. Although I would say I am a visual person, everything that spoke to me, that seemed to want to be used, happened to be words! Well, almost everything. I think that's part of why I put off this project a bit. I was certain it wasn't going to be all that interesting. Although, I'm still not sure it's interesting, the process was fun. My hands (and craft mat) got dirty and it was just overall enjoyable.

confession #4 ::  I love my craft mat

Since it was words and phrases that stood out to me, I decided to just go with it. I ended up ripping out a bunch of paragraphs (more words) that have no particular meaning, just to use as background.  Then I put all the meaningful stuff over it.  :-)

confession #5 :: The tree came in the mail today. (Well, technically yesterday, either way just hours ago)!

After I was finished gluing everything down with matte medium, I put a layer over the top to seal it all together.  Then, I added a little orange (everything is better with a little orange, no?). I used this cool roller that I got in my February Scrapbook Circle kit, painted it with orange, and applied!  Fun!

Still to come:: I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the other side of the page.  If you remember from my first post I decided I needed a title page, so I'm not exactly following what Ali is doing, so I need to fill the pockets on the left side of the page (not shown).  I think I will put some fun paper there, and maybe some quotes that I've collected that fit my word (present). Or, who knows, I might even just go for one big photo like I did for my title page!  Nothing is speaking to me at this time, so I'll just have to wait until I know!

Next stop, Paige's place!  Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. Today is also the first reveal over at Scrap Your Story Challenges (of which I just happen to be a member of the Design Team).  My post for that will go live at around 8 a.m. (CST).  Please come back and check it out!

Lee

Cheri

Lisa
Michelle
Julie
Kara
Margareta
Tricia
Karen
Nikki
Melanie
Angela
Kathryn
Jackie
Dona <----- That's me!
Paige
Ruth
Kathleen

Missus Wookie:

Naomi