SVK Layout for Lasting Memories #760

Today's Lasting Memories challenge gave me a chance to get nostalgic about a much loved but now defunct scrapbooking company: Close to My Heart. Jill was asking us to create a layout using a favorite brand or designer, and CTMH has long been a favorite for me. I was so sad when they went out of business a couple of years ago, but fortunately, I have enough of their products to last me for the next ten years! What about you?  If you have a favorite designer or brand or company, feel free to hop on over to Lasting Memories and share a layout using lots of their products.

Recipe (unless noted, all products are from CTMH):
Connections, Washi Wonder, Chantilly, Take Note & Picture Perfect stamp sets
Splendor papers
Canary, Candy Apple & White Daisy cardstock
Goldrush, Canary, Candy Apple, Topiary & Black ink
Black marker
Ruby Red fineliner pen (iBayam)
DE Monograms chipboard S, V, K
Red enamel hearts
Dot Fade layering stencil (Stampers Anonymous)
Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: notepaper
Pattern: Splitcoast Stampers Sketch17Mar

Challenges: Heart's Quest #75 Anything Goes with red or blue heart); Can You Handle the Pressure? Anything goes with an embossing folder - I used one to add dots to the red circles; Colorful Options July - I used the four suggested colors, although my green is a little darker like in the photo.

Pre-Historic Days Layout

There has been a definite downturn in my scrapping mojo over the past week, but I finally decided to temporarily shelve the layout I was working on and move on to something that would inspire me more! Dinosaurs and rocks - who knew that would do the trick? LOL. These photos from the Natural History Museum were taken on the same day and location as the ones on the butterflies layout I posted last week, but with a vastly different theme. Mixed media is a bit of a challenge for me, but I tried to create a scene that look vaguely ancient, then added the die-cut frame and dinosaurs to it. The stamped "trees" on the right are actually flower silhouettes, but hopefully they came across as savanna-type trees when used in conjunction with  the dinosaurs.

Here's the background. I used a really old (but not pre-historic!) stencil for the hills, with a little bit of extra stenciling for texture, and then I stamped the trees and sun.

Recipe:
Treasure Life stamp set
Vicki Boutin Mixed Media Stamps - Circles (American Crafts)
Heavenly Blue, Topiary, Kraft, Goldrush, Pewter, Espresso, Pine & White Daisy cardstock
Goldrush, Desert Sand, Brown Bag, Sweet Leaf Fern & Topiary ink
Goldrush pigment ink
Dot Fade layering stencil (Stampers Anonymous)
Scenic Borders stencils (Puzzle Mates)
Cricut Design Space: dinosaurs (from Erika Digital Design and GlamSVG by Emylia), grass, title (using A Child's Year font)
Pattern: Sketch-n-Scrap #318 (adapted for my mixed media-background, but I promise the sketch is where I started!)

Challenges: Neglected Stuff July 2025 - my stuff is the hills stencil that I haven't used since I started blogging in 2009, and the flower stamp;  NBUS #76 - my never before used item is the Vicki Boutin stamp set I used for the sun, the circle spots, and the adventure sentiment.

Blissful, Beautiful Butterflies Layout

My hubby took two sets of photos during our family visit to the Natural History Museum in 2018: the butterfly enclosure and then everything else. I decided to scrap the butterfly photos first since I had the title idea and wanted to run (fly!) with it.

The sentiment at the bottom left is a little washed out in my scan, so here's a close up of it.

Recipe:
Alphabet Solos "B," Pen Pal Alphabet, Bugs & Hugs, Smiles From the Garden & Diverse Backgrounds stamp sets
Goldrush, Thistle, Garden Green, New England Ivy & White Daisy cardstock
Goldrush, Thistle, Garden Green & New England Ivy ink
Thistle Diagonal Striped ribbon
Smiles From the Garden Thin Cuts
Messy Circles layering stencil (Amazon)
Challenges: Triple B July challenge - I included lots of butterflies and a few blooms; The Outlawz Tuesday Color Challenge - I used all the colors.

Double Trouble #195 - my three colors are Goldrush, Thistle, and Green, my two stamped images are the butterflies, and my sentiment is down at the bottom left. I stamped some splatters on the background cardstock but it's not shiny, so not sure if it counts for the twist!

Graven Images Layout

I'm back to scrapping my King Tut exhibit photos, so here is another one featuring some of the statues we saw. I was running out of creative titles already, but the thought that these might be the types of "graven images" the Hebrews were forbidden to worship gave me the idea for the title and the journaling. Still loving the Stamperia papers and my Ancient Egypt ephemera book!

Recipe:
Land of Pharaohs paper (Stamperia)
Goldrush & Colonial White cardstock
Goldrush, Outdoor Denim & Vineyard Berry ink
Merlot gel pen (Cricut)
Goldrush marker
Ancient Egypt Ephemera book (Ruth Harding - purchased on Amazon)
Honey Triangles washi tape
Cool Summer Night enamel dots (Altenew)
Cricut Design Space: ring and title using Tempus Sans ITC font
Pattern: Inspired Blueprints sketch (turned upside down)

Challenges: Paper Rocks Scissors #6 - I used my scissors to fussy cut the statue and obelisk out.

A Sweet Treat Layout

I seldom scrap single photos, but the mug on this one cracked me up so I decided to go for it. For those who don't know, my last name is Even (as in, not odd), so my hubby and I thought it was pretty funny when I got a mug at the coffee shop that had "I can't even" printed on it!

Recipe:
Color Kaleidoscope paper (American Crafts)
March-April 2022 Mix-In papers
Watercolor paper (Canson)
Carolina & Linen cardstock
Carolina, Bluebird & Black ink
Cobalt watercolor paint (Artist's Loft)
Simple Vintage Essentials Butterfly Bits (simple Stories)
Bold & Bright puffy title stickers (American Crafts)
Teal enamel shapes
Pattern: scraplift from A Cherry on Top
Challenges: First Cup Challenges #4 - this photo was taken in 2018 so I don't remember what I was drinking, but probably hot chocolate or a seasonal macchiato!

Thanksgiving Layout for LM #758

Some years I take a ton of photos of certain holidays, and some I take very few, as was the case for Thanksgiving 2018. I'm thankful I got at least this one photo, since Jill over at Lasting Memories is challenging us to scrapbook our favorite holiday. While I love Christmas and Easter, I find that Thanksgiving, with its comparative lack of commercialization, grants me space to just be grateful for all the blessings God has given me, including the people around our table. How about you? What is your favorite holiday? We would love to see your layout featuring that special day over at Lasting Memories!

Recipe:
Notice the Details & Cherish the Day stamp sets
Vicki Boutin Mixed Media papers (American Crafts)
For Always & Zoe papers
Cocoa, Ruby & Black cardstock
Cocoa ink
Black marker
Doily (from my scrappy friend Lis, source unknown)
Thanksgiving Embellishments Laser Die Cut-Outs (Scrapbook Customs)
Bold & Bright Thicker (American Crafts)
Let's Wander Thicker (American Crafts)
Slice of Life puffy sticker (American Crafts)
Wild Wheat ribbon (SU)
Cricut Design Space - ring, title using Bernard MT Condensed font
Pattern: lift of A Cherry on Top layout

Challenges: Paper Rocks Scissors #6 - used scissors to cut the ribbon and shape the ends of the arrow; NBUS #76 - my "never before used schtuff" is the Thanksgiving themed embellishments, purchased in March and saved for this layout; Alphabet Challenge Blog F is for Feathers - got a lot of feathers on that big old turkey!

Little Desperados Layout

Love these photos of my son and his friend fooling around in their fake moustaches at Sunday school . They totally reminded me of the bad guys in old westerns, so that's what inspired the title. My Cricut got a workout as I cut out the various shapes that I wanted to use, and I like how it turned out. Hope you do, too!

Recipe:
Universal Backgrounds & Distressed Backgrounds stamp sets
The Fourth of July paper (Carta Bella)
September - October 2023 Mix In paper
Cranberry, Outdoor Denim, Almond, Black & White Daisy cardstock
Cranberry, Outdoor Denim, Toffee & Versamark ink
Gold embossing powder
Gold Shimmer Trim
Tan Sparkles
Lumberjack Plaid Distress Spray (Ranger)
Cricut Southwest cartridge: revolver, horse, fence
Just Because Cards cartridge: cowboy boot
Cricut Design Space: sheriff badge, title using Rockwell font
Pattern: Sketch Savvy #34 (rotated right)

Challenges: Anything Goes in a Card Free Zone with optional twist: I'd Wear That (I certainly wouldn't wear those moustaches, but I love that my kiddo did!); Cut It Up #333 Critters (a horse)  + die-cuts (I used lots, see the list above); Color My Heart #659 

Song of Summer Layout

I held back these July 4th photos when I was scrapping the rest of my July 2018 photos because I wanted to create and post my layout in July, so here is my layout at last. I started out with one of my sketches but, when I went to cut a large circle in red cardstock, I discovered that I already had the negative space from cutting out one previously, so I decided to make that my frame, and the inside of my circle became a patchwork of patterned paper scraps instead. Win, win as I used up lots of scraps from my stash and love how it looks! The Star-Spangled Banner sheet music was an image I found online and printed out on vellum so I could overlay it on the fireworks paper. I'm trying to learn to play it on the piano but not in this freakishly high key!

Recipe:
Celebrating Freedom papers (BoBunny)
Cranberry & Sapphire cardstock
Cranberry & Sapphire ink
White gel pen (Sakura)
The Fourth of July element stickers (Carta Bella)
Opaque Matte texture paste (Ranger)
Starry Night stencil (Simple Stories)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: title
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #13 (rotated 180°)

Challenges: Creative Inspirations Stars and/or Stripes - used both;  Little Red Wagon #814 To Boldly Go - used bold colors; Shopping Our Stash #551 Red, White & Blue; Stencil Fun anything goes with with a stencil + optional flag colors - used the American flag colors plus it has white stars, so I stenciled stars in white on the layout corners; The Outlawz Anything Goes in a Card Free Zone; Challenge YOUrself #138 Patriotic Mood Board + include yourself - inspired by the banner, patchwork design & colors.

Soccer Smiles Layout

My daughter's 2018 soccer team had bright green uniforms, so when it came to scrapping her picture day photos, I went with the brightest green I could find in my scrap pile! Then I pulled out a bunch of sports themed stamps and added patterns to the hexagons that I cut out using my Cricut.

Recipe:
Best Shot, My Game, Play Hard - Soccer, Picture Perfect & Family Ties Children stamp sets
May - June 2022 Mix-In papers
Willow, Papaya, Grey Wool & White Daisy cardstock
Sorbet, Grey Wool & Black ink
Black marker
Sea Green Tri-Colour Marker (Spectrum Noir)
Jeepers Creepers washi tape
All Aflutter & Puppy Love Shape Sprinkles (Doodlebug Designs)
Cricut Design Space: hexagons, banners, title (using Agent Q font)
Pattern: Let's Scrap 8-1-15

Challenges: Color My Heart #658 - my 2 additional colors were Willow (green) and Papaya (orange- pink)

Wild Thing {Elliot} Layout

I used to say my son could rock any haircut, and when you pair it with a black jacket and his smoldering eyes, he does look pretty dashing! Unfortunately, now that he is twenty, he sports a stringy kind of haircut that does nothing for him (sorry, honey, but it's true). I hope he will grow out of it, but in the meantime, I will have to enjoy photos of him from his teen years.

Recipe:
Wild About Love stamp set
Splendor, Dotty for You & Wonderland papers
Goldrush, Lagoon, Almond & White Daisy cardstock
Goldrush, Lagoon & Chocolate ink
Burnt Sienna fineline pern (iBayam)
Chalk It up Assortment puffy stickers
Reasons to Smile ephemera (American Crafts)
School Is Cool ephemera icons (Bella Blvd)
Woodgrain washi tape
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: larger hearts
Pattern: Scraplift from Scrapbook.com
Challenges: Cut It Up #333 Critters (mine is the fox) + a die-cut (hearts); Heart's Quest Challenge Blog #75 Anything Goes with Blue and/or Red Heart (I used three blue hearts)