Zoo Play Park Layouts

A few weeks ago, I created a layout with some fun photos of my kids at the zoo, but I never finished the companion pages. Since today is Blah Blah Blah Day, a time to complete unfinished projects, I made it my mission to have this layout done by today! There will be a pocket page in between the two sides of the layout, so I decided to post the pages as they will look in my album.

Here's the first side of the pocket page:

And a close up of the pocket card:

And here's the back side of the pocket page, along with the traditional scrapbook page:

And these are the pocket cards I made for this page. The top one was simple since it was a pre-printed card and all I had to do was journal and embellish a little. The bottom one was my own design, and I was inspired by a couple of challenges. Heart 2 Heart has a "Weather or Not" challenge going on, so I decided to add the sunshine, cloud, and Liquid Glass raindrops, plus I used a few lines from a poem about "the sunshine of your smile" as my journaling on the big page. Since Double Trouble was also asking for "showers," this gave me double inspiration!

Recipe:
Jeepers Creepers papers
Lagoon, Tangerine & White Daisy cardstock
Goldrush, Gypsy, Whisper & Black ink
Black marker
Jeepers Creepers washi tape
Purple glitter gems
Field Notes Journaling Ephemera (American Crafts)
Escape the Ordinary Thickers (American Crafts)
Color Kaleidoscope stickers (American Crafts)
Liquid Glass
Cricut Artiste cartridge: sun, clouds
Heart punch (EK Success)
Pattern (for traditional page): Sketch-n-Scrap #174

Zoo Daze Layout

No, the title of my layout is not a mistake! Sometimes these zoo photos tend to all run together since we have visited so often, hence the daze. The last time I scrapped zoo photos, I realized I didn't have much animal themed paper, so I picked up some zoo prints at Hobby Lobby. The only problem was, when I went to use it, it was really too wild for my layout so the pictures were being overwhelmed. I flipped it over and used the more muted backside, and just used a small strip of the animal print. Easy fix! The purple may seem like an odd choice for a zoo layout, but both Brianna and I wore purple, so it was calling to me, and I like how it turned out.

Recipe:
In the Wild stamp set (SU)
Friendship Alphabet Small stamp set
Safari Beast papers (Bo Bunny)
Gypsy & Colonial White cardstock
Tuxedo Black, Brown Bag & Saffron ink
Black marker
Black enamel dots
Escape the Ordinary Thickers (American Crafts)
ShinHan Touch Twin markers
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge 18
Challenges: Use Your Stuff Flora and Fauna challenge (I definitely have fauna with all those zoo animals, and for my flora I added grass under the stamped animals' feet, plus my hubby is posing next to a sign all about the carob plant)

Farewell Party Layout

Let's Scrap has a great sketch this month, with lots of spots for photos, a big draw for me with my photo heavy layouts! I combined it with the Heart 2 Heart color challenge to use Emerald, Smoothie, Glacier, Canary, and Peach, substituting Taffy for Peach since I didn't have that color. I must admit, I wasn't sure about this color combo to start, but I ended up loving how it looks, especially the vivid Emerald, which made a great contrast to the lighter colors.

Recipe:
It's Your Day stamp set
Canary, Glacier, Smoothie, Emerald & Taffy cardstock
Canary, Glacier, Smoothie & Taffy ink
Black marker
Fancy Cuts Botanicals
Let's Go Tidbits (Chic Tags)
Field Notes Journaling Ephemera (American Crafts)
Escape the Ordinary Thickers (American Crafts)
Color Kaleidoscope Puffy Stickers (American Crafts)
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: sun, sun border
Cricut Artiste cartridge: title
Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folders
Pattern: Let's Scrap 4-1-19 sketch

Challenges: Heart 2 Heart color challenge

Me & My Father Layout

This was our last Father's Day before our two youngest kids came to live with us, and I love these photos of my boys goofing around with Dad! I started off with a Sketch-n-Scrap sketch from last month and built the layout from there, using some super old papers and stickers that I wanted to clear out of my stash. Still have a little bit left but I'm always happy to make a dent in the pile.

Recipe:
It's a Guy Thing & Fresh Air papers
Cocoa, Indian Corn Blue & New England Ivy cardstock
Cocoa, New England Ivy & Barn Red ink
A Father's Love stickers (Bo-Bunny Press)
Twill ribbon
Durables round studs
Wood grain washi tape
Pattern: loosely based on Sketch-n-Scrap #172
Challenges: Double Trouble #25 - use something that looks like it's made from wood (I used woodgrain paper and washi tape). No optional twist this time but I'll try to include it on another layout this month!

Great Expectations Layout

Considering how far behind I am in my scrapbooking (working on 2014, in fact), it seemed like this day would never come, but it has finally arrived. Today, I started scrapbooking our adoption journey for our two youngest children! I was fortunate in that I had journaled about how it all unfolded at the time, so I was able to format the information and print it out to use on my layout. There's a lot of it, but since the kids came to us through the foster care system, I had to be careful in how I shared it in a public forum. My solution? Hidden journaling. I added a 12" x 6" Flip-Flap to the side of my layout, with photos on the visible side and the journaling on the back. My title is from the Charles Dicken's book, and it seemed fitting since this journey began with such high expectations for a short and simple adoption. We ended up being more like the family in Instant Family, but this is how we started out!

Here is what the left side of the layout looks like once the flap is opened. For privacy reasons, I  faded most of the faces and the journaling.

Recipe:
Chantilly papers & My Complements chipboard
Cotton Candy, Buttercup, Twilight, Pear & Grey Wool cardstock
Cotton Candy, Twilight, Pear & Grey Wool ink
Mind Your Manners Ephemera (Bella Blvd)
Field Notes Journaling Ephemera (American Crafts)
Illustrated Faith Family & Go die-cuts (Bella Blvd)
Pear Bigger Brads
White Daisy crocheted flowers
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: title
CTMH embossing folder: stripe
Pattern: Rochelle Spears April 2019 sketch
Challenges: Splitcoast Stampers Tell Me a Story challenge

EMS Sketch Challenge 73 + Just Fooling Around Layout

Welcome to a new sketch challenge! I made this sketch up a while ago and never had the perfect time to use it, but when I was asked to guest design for the April Fools challenge over at the Paper Girls, this sketch seemed like a perfect jumping off point for a light-hearted layout. I didn't have specific April fools pictures, but figured these photos of the kids goofing off at the zoo would do the trick.The bottom photo lifts up so you can see two more photos of my over-dramatic son, a handy trick if you want to fit more photos on your layout than are featured in the sketch. If you play along with the sketch, please post a link in the comments section below, and feel free to check out the Paper Girls challenge, too!

The Sketch:

My Layout:

Recipe:
Jeepers Creepers papers
Lagoon, Raspberry, Willow, Tangerine & White Daisy cardstock
Black, Pansy, Goldrush & Whisper ink
Black marker
Jeepers Creepers washi tape
Snapshots complements cardstock stickers
Field Notes Journaling Ephemera (American Crafts)
Purple Glitter Gems
Sunset baker's twine
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: circles
Cricut Artistry cartridge: title

Dream Big Little One Layout

Kids are always so cute when they're sleeping, and I love these sweet photos of my boys sleeping on a sofa bed with their cousin. I was originally going to go with a title like "All Tucked Out," but then I happened across that great Picture My Life card, and I decided to combine it with the Scrap Our Stash Cartoon / Sketch challenge. The Snoopy cartoon inspired me to add a few things I think the kids might have been dreaming about: a golden crown and a puppy (the robot is a bonus)!

Recipe:
Enchantment Paper Fundamentals - Pomegranate
Color Kaleidoscope paper (American Crafts)
Lagoon, Sorbet & White Daisy cardstock
Black marker
Childhood PML card
Gold Stickles (Ranger)
Illustrated Faith Family die-cuts (Bella Blvd)
Escape the Ordinary Thickers (American Crafts)
Green ribbon
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: ovals
Cricut Artiste cartridge: robot
Cricut You Are Here cartridge: crown
Cricut Artistry cartridge: dog
Pattern: Scrap Our Stash March Saturday Cartoon Sketch Challenge (used a heart instead of circle and moved the title to the big card. My green embellishment is a ribbon).

1 Fully Amazing Day Layout

For this layout featuring pictures of my sons and their cousin at the pool, I pulled inspiration from several challenges (see below). Since I had just purchased some new Vicky Boutin papers and accessories, I really wanted to use them, but it took me forever to actually cut into the papers. I guess I have a fear of messing up or using that paper that will be perfect for a layout three years in the future - LOL! At any rate, the layout is now finished, and I now have scraps to enjoy on another project.

Recipe:
Distressed Backgrounds stamp set
Color Kaleidoscope papers (Vicky Boutin for American Crafts)
Honey, Kraft, Lagoon, Desert Sand & Sky cardstock
Desert Sand & Lagoon ink
Clover Meadow marker
Later Sk8r PML cards
Red & Teal shimmer trim
Honey Triangles washi tape
Ruby glitter buttons
Color Kaleidoscope Thickers, stickers & puffy stickers (Vicky Boutin for American Crafts)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: scalloped border
Cricut Artistry cartridge: whale
Pattern: Let's Scrap 3-15-19 (subbed hearts for hexagons)

Challenges: The Studio Challenges fussy cutting (not something I do well, but I cut hearts from the heart paper to scatter around my layout); Lasting Memories photo inspiration (inspired by the bright colors so I tried to include as many as I could)

EMS Sketch Challenge 72 - Let's Go {Kart} Layout

It's been a couple of months since I posted a sketch, so here's one that is quite picture heavy. Honestly, I came up with this sketch by laying my photos down on my Versamat and moving them around until I liked what I saw, so feel free to change up sizes and move things around a little until they work for you! The rectangles with rounded corners are based on pocket cards, since the gals at Scrapbook.com assure me they have too many of them, so here's a way to whittle down your stash by cropping them and using them as design elements. FYI: I will no longer be including a link-up for my sketches, but please feel free to post a link to your completed layout in the comments section below if you use the sketch. I would love to see what you do with it!

The Sketch:

My Layout:

Heart 2 Heart has a challenge to show a favorite tool we use when creating. I was thinking about my Cricut or my stamps, or even my trimmer, but I would have to say the tool I use every time I craft is my 2 Versamats. They aren't showy, but I love how they help me arrange my projects; whether laying out my pictures in a 12" x 12" grid, creating a sketch, figuring out where to adhere papers, or using the soft side to do some stamping, they come in handy every time!

Recipe:
Timberline stamp set
Later Sk8r papers & PML cards
Slate & Whisper cardstock
Slate ink
Steel Grey marker (Zig)
Durables round studs - antiqued gold
Cricut You are Here cartridge: title
Challenges: Double Trouble #24 - Metallic & Transportation (I added metal studs for Thing 1, used a transportation while on vacation theme for Thing 3, and played along over at Brown Sugar for Thing 2); Brown Sugar #288 Transportation

Family Layout

When I was talking to my sister about her son's high school graduation, one thing she mentioned was how many family members from both sides were able to attend. I used this as a jumping off point for the graduation party layout, pulling out a really old sheet of patterned paper from my stash and adding a title and journaling that reflected the support of our family for the graduate!

Recipe:

Family patterned paper (DCWV)

Hopscotch papers & Complements cardstock stickers
Dutch Blue & Sunset cardstock

Dutch Blue marker
White gel pen (Sakura)

Hopscotch PML cards

Enjoy #Life cards

Lagoon Washi tape
Sunset grosgrain ribbon
Mind Your Manners Ephemera & stickers (Bella Blvd)
3-D foam tape

Pattern: Stick It Down March double page sketch

Challenges: Use Your Stuff #351 washi tape (I don't own a ton but I broke out some to use on the title, journaling box, and file folder tab)