Scrap Your Story :: bubbles and boots

It's Friday! This week at Scrap Your Story Challenge Blog, we have a sketch!


Thank goodness I am not a chronological scrapper! The moment I stopped worrying about scrapping things in order and getting "caught up", was the moment that I started scrapping more. I bring this up because these lovely photos were taken June 29, 2011, nearly two years ago! Look how little B. is! And that face. This story just had to be told -- but two years ago it just wasn't happenin'.

Journaling reads: B. frequently suggests going "outside deck". On this night we had fun with bubbles.  This is after she insisted that it's a good idea to wear fur-lined boots -- no matter the weather."  True story.

It has been super busy around here!  Out of town for several days, working with teachers writing assessments, designing professional learning for next week, and so much more. I have managed to get a little bit of creative time in, but I am looking forward to the end of June when I will have a bit more free time for projects big and small!

To the left is Christy's awesome sketch that I used for this layout!  Won't you make some time for creating, and play along with us this week?

I have several fun announcements and creations to share -- soon!

Thanks for following!

Scrap Your Story :: No Rain ::

It's FRIDAY!  For mean this means I can wear jeans to work, I get to have pizza and wine for supper, AND it's a new challenge at Scrap Your Story Challenge Blog!  This week is a sketch.  Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it:

I hope you join us this week at Scrap Your Story.  I love seeing all of the great submissions each week!

TTFN!

Scrap Your Story :: love spring

It's FRIDAY and you know what that means -- a new challenge goes live at Scrap Your Story Challenges!  This week we are working with one of Christy's sketches!  Here's my layout:

The journaling is about how my wonderful family stopped and let me take this photo, even though the weather was bad, we were hungry, and on our way out to eat.  But I just had to get a photo of the grass...it is turning green.  I am thankful for that -- because I am ready for spring.  Aren't you?  Here are a few close ups:

If you follow me on instagram or Facebook, you may have seen that I was letting scrapbooking stress me out this week!  Ever had one of those days/weeks where you waste a LOT of paper because none of your ideas work?  I had that this week!  Ugh.  Good news...I pushed through and I really like how my layout turned out! I got several happy packages in the mail this week, and that helped.  :-) 

The patterned papers and tags are from April's Scrapbook Circle kit, "Happy Place" and I added a couple of things from my stash. Also, I used some awesome washi that I got from a Paper Issues embellishment kit (some of the happy mail that arrived on my doorstep this week)! There is a complete list of supplies used at the bottom of this post.

Here's the sketch (I basically flipped it horizontally):

Come play with us!!!  It's so much fun to see what others create based on the same sketch!

I will also be posting this a Paper Issues.  Their "Current Issue" is all about using instagram photos (which I love)!

Supplies:

Echo Park :: Flower Garden 12x12 Sweet Girl

American Crafts :: Dear Lizzy 12x12 Lucky Charm Paper :: Lucky Coin

American Crafts :: Dear Lizzy 12x12 Lucky Charm Paper :: This and That

American Crafts :: Amy Tangerine Yes, Please :: Capture Embroidery Kit
American Crafts :; Amy Tangerine Yes, Please :: Create Cardstock Shapes

Studio Calico :: Chevron Snippets Wood Veneer
A Flair For Buttons :: Lovely Words Flair

Heidi Swapp :: Clear Pop :: Clear Mint Alpha (love these)!
Tape Works Green Chevron Washi Tape (got this in the Paper Issues "Thrift Shop" embellishment kit)
Elle’s Studio Serindipity Lil Snippets Labels 
Scrapbook Circle exclusive tags

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!

~ baby time ~

No, I'm not pregnant!  But, I've never scrapped B's baby photos (I know, right?)!  When I saw this Ashley Horton sketch for the November Sketch It Out Challenge at Club CK, I knew I wanted to use it.  Then I saw the November FITkit over at ScrapFIT and rushed over to Paper Issues to grab one up.  I've never purchased a kit there before, but the day the November "Gather" kit (designed by Audrey Yeager) arrived in the mail I was instantly inspired to scrap a few layouts.  I think there are still kits available at the link above if you are interested.  The layout that I've completed and have to share with you today is a two pager, with page one inspired by the sketch.  Here's page one:

When I saw the scallops on the Studio Calico paper I fell in love (and I was super excited a few days later when my Scrapbook Circle kit arrived and there's one in there, too)!  In fact, I really like all of the Studio Calico Yearbook collection. Anyway, here is page two:

And the pages go together like this:

Here are a few close-ups:

I decided on "Baby Time" for my title and then went with it and added some times to the journal strips and wrote times directly on some of the photos.  I always have such a difficult time with titles!  Why is that??

I like the colors and the mix of washi in this layout.  I made several mistakes while adhering the papers, but I think I was able to cover most of them up!

One of my favorite solutions that I came up with was the title letters.  I wanted something in that green color, but I didn't have any paper that color.  So, I stuck some of the washi on white card stock and put that through my Cricut!  Woot!  Go me!  ;-)

I should have another layout to share with you in a couple of days AND my December Daily is just beginning to take shape!

~ such personality ~

"Sometimes B. requests a 'walk' riding in the stroller, sometimes she prefers the wagon.  On this particular evening, she asked her daddy for the red wagon and demanded that he also provide her with ear protection!"

True story.  She didn't actually say "ear protection", but she did request to wear them.  I love these photos that My Soul Mate took because I can totally see her personality in them!  She is tilting her head from side to side as if she is dancing to the music in her head.

I based my layout on this sketch by Ashley Horton, as part of the June Sketch it Out Challenge over at Club CK.  Club CK is an online community full of great people and I love all of the forums, specifically the  creative challenges forum.  When I am at a loss for ideas, Club CK is one of my go to places!  Ashley Horton specifically inspires me!  I was excited to try her sketch!

Lately I've been challenging myself a bit by trying something new in each of my layouts or projects.  For this one my "new" was STAMPING ON WASHI!  I hadn't seen that done before, but I tried it, and it worked! I'm sure it's probably been done before, but please don't tell me so that I can feel like I'm being creative and original.  

This photo was taken when I was first trying it out.  I used the wrong ink.  I thought I was using StazOn ink, but I wasn't.  So the photo is the trial run (which didn't work), but when I did for real, I used StazOn (because it stays on, of course) and it totally worked (see below)!  The Dear Lizzy Camera stamps came in my Scrapbook Circle June kit, Field Notes.  I primarily used the kit for this layout, but I did add a few other items.  A full list of supplies at the bottom of this post!  (Have I mentioned how much I love Scrapbook Circle?? -- LOVE).

Washi (from Target) + StazOn ink + Dear Lizzy Camera Stamps = awesome!

I probably got a bit excessive with the machine stitching.  I think I'm addicted!

The camera flair button is a tin pin from October Afternoon (the boarding pass collection), it it matches the teal colored washi and camera stamps from the kit, so I went with it.

I found this "Daddy's Girl" sticker from Crate Paper's Emma's Shoppe Collection in my stash and thought it fit this layout perfectly -- added some brads for fun.  (more excessive stitching visible here, along with a "typo" that I fixed after the photo was taken).

I had a difficult time coming up with a title for this one, but decided that her personality was the important part of this story.  The yellow letters are from Cosmo Cricket.  The teal letters are from the kit!

That's all I have for now!  Look for a mini book update soon!!  (I've been busy!)

Scrapbook Circle kit items used below (+ the other extras from my stash that weren't included above):

Bella Blvd Teal Stripe Washi Tape
Echo Park This & That Tickets Please (yellow PP -- I used the 'back side')
Echo Park This & That Alpha Stickers ("SUCH"
Echo Park This & That Instamatic (one little strip of it at the top among all the washi)
Glitz Happy Travels Planes (the main background paper -- I used the 'back side' again)

other items from my stash that were not mentioned in the main post include:
black and white polkadot washi from K and Company's SMASH collection
teal "Like this" washi (with text) from K and Company's SMASH collection
Doodlebug Doodle twine