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!