EMS Sketch Challenge #130 + Les Miserables Layout

Happy Monday morning, everyone. I haven't created a new sketch for a while but needed one for these photos, so here is my latest, featuring four 4"x6" photos with two cropped to a smaller size. This would also work well rotated if you have more horizontal than vertical photos, and a vertical title would look fun! As always, feel free to adapt the sketch to your needs, and please leave a link to your completed layout in the comments below so I can enjoy seeing what you did with the sketch! Here's the sketch:

And here's my layout:

Fun fact: a local theater is doing Les Mis this season, so since the Les Mis logo never changes,
I cropped it out of their advertisement to use as my title! 

Recipe:
Country Woods & Painted Illusions papers (SU)
Grunge Rust paper (Reminisce)
Ruby, Indian Corn Blue, Toffee & White Daisy cardstock
Ruby, Indian Corn Blue & Toffee ink
Twilight marker
Ruby Red fineliner pen (iBayam)
VIP Acrylic Shapes
Antiqued Copper eyelets (MM)
Cranberry embroidery floss
Cricut You Are Here cartridge: treble clef, hearts
Challenges: Heart’s Quest Challenge Blog #87 Red and/or Yellow hearts; Let’s Craft and Create #234 Anything Goes w/optional twist: Distressed paper; NBUS Challenge #89 My never before used stuff was the Country Woods paper; One More Page Any scrapbook layout; Paper Rocks Scissors #19 Used scissors to trim embroidery floss.

Movie Day Layout for LM #811

Hello, everyone, and happy Sunday. Today is the reveal for the latest challenge over at Lasting Memories, and this time, Jill has challenged us to  create a layout showing our favorite brand or designer. This is always a challenge for me, since I was so loyal to CTMH for many years, but then they went out of business - bummer. I have a few new favorites now, with anything by Vicki Boutin topping the list. Here I used her mixed media paper as my background, then added patterned paper for the frame and the strip across the page. The "with you" puffy sticker is from one of her collections, too. We would love to see who is your favorite designer or brand, so feel free to swing by Lasting Memories to share a layout with us!

Here are a few close-ups - the extra ticket that pulls out of the envelope:

The title:

And the stamped sentiments:

Recipe:
Captured Happiness, Cherish the Day, Live Out Loud, This Way & Ticket to Ride stamp sets
Vicki Boutin Let's Wander Mixed Media & Printed Mixed Media paper (American Crafts)
Ruby, Chocolate, Pebble, Black & White cardstock
Ruby, Moonstruck, Flaxen & Black ink
White gel pen (Sakura)
Paige Evans Very Merry Christmas wood stars (Pinkfresh)
Red Sunset enamel dots (Altenew)
Blue Swiss Dot grosgrain ribbon (Offray)
White Daisy baker's twine
Sweet Rush Collection - Loving This puffy stickers (American Crafts)
Foam tape (Scrapbook.com)
Cricut Southwest cartridge: pistol, rug, boot
Cricut Artiste cartridge: filmstrip, tickets, envelope, movie
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: clouds
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: scalloped border
Cricut Design Space: Day using Chloe font
Pattern: Rochelle Spears August 2026 Sketch

Challenges: Little Red Wagon #870 Make an envelope - I created a tiny envelope for the tickets; A Cut Above Anything Goes including a die-cut (I went kind of crazy on the die-cuts but didn't manage the optional twist of fall flowers - maybe next time); Unicorn Challenge Blog #123 Layer it up; Scrap With Stacy Tic Tac Toe ( I chose the top row with foam (behind the clouds + enamel dots + 2 photos).

These Wonderful Walls Layout

My goal last month was to finish scrapping the photos from April 29 of our 2017 trip to London, and I almost made it but got distracted at the last moment and didn't end up getting this one done. Oops! Well, I finished it up today with some photos of the interior of the National Gallery, and I am pretty please with how it came out. Since the photos sat on my desk for a couple weeks, I had a chance to realize that the papers I had originally chosen were too busy, so I dug deep into my stash and found some other papers that I paired up with a new butterfly stamp set. I decided not to add any journaling, but hopefully the title speaks for itself.

And here are a couple of close-ups of the layout:

Recipe:
Let Your Dreams Take Flight stamp set (Recollections)
Vicki Boutin Printed Mixed Media paper (American Crafts)
8.5" x 11" paper and word sticker from my stash (source unknown)
Jingle All the Way - Coal Plaid/Gingham paper (Simple Stories)
Scarlet, Black & White cardstock
White Daisy textured cardstock
Black striped grosgrain ribbon
Black embroidery floss
Black and white glitter brads (Eyelet Outlet)
Black label tape (Dymo)
Heart punch (EK Success)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: tag
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #107 (left side only)

Challenges: NBUS Challenge #89 My never before used stuff was the recently purchased Recollections butterfly stamp; Neglected Stuff Challenges the red and black patterned paper and the striped ribbon; Paper Rocks Scissors #19 Used scissors to fussy cut the stamped butterflies; Heart’s Quest Challenge Blog #87 Red and black punched hearts; Triple B Anything goes including a bird, a bloom, and/or a butterfly.

Picture Perfect Layout

I was going through a file cabinet trying to purge old files when I found an Olan Mills envelope that had proofs from some photos my husband and I had done when we had only been married a few years. There was no date on the envelope, so I looked through my scrapbooks and couldn't find that I had ever scrapped these photos, possibly because I didn't love how they looked at the time. With the passage of years, I look much more kindly on how my hubby and I looked in the photos, so I made a guess based on my hairstyle and my hubby's lack of a beard in order to figure out where these photos fit and decided to go with fall of 1996.

Recipe:
Best Friends Forever stamp set
Botanical Textures & Unknown floral paper from 2005 (SU)
Linen cardstock
Vineyard Berry & Black ink
Mars Black fineliner pen (iBayam)
Birdsong Ephemera Bits (49 and Market)
Dream Maker stickers
Fancy Cuts Botanicals paper flowers
Paper piercer (We R Memory Keepers)
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #96 

Challenges: Love Those Pretty Papers Anything goes as long as you use lots of patterned paper; NBUS Challenge #89  my never before used stuff is the black and white floral paper; One More Page Any scrapbook layout; The Outlawz Anything But a Card Anything goes except a card; Paper Rocks Scissors #19 Anything goes using paper and scissors - I used scissors to cut the extra nubs off the die-cuts.

Transport Museum Layout

I really wanted to finish scrapping all my London photos from April 29, 2017 before the end of the month, and I am almost done. Just one more after this. I think I can, I think I can! These photos were taken at the London Transport Museum, probably not a place your average tourist plans to go, but we enjoyed it.

And I had fun creating the little window scene, so here's a close-up:

Recipe:
Harmonious Patterns & Universal Backgrounds stamp sets
Yesterday & Today and Typeset papers
Kraft, Espresso, Toffee, Chocolate, Topiary, Heavenly Blue, Vineyard Berry, Juniper, Black & Colonial White cardstock
Espresso, Toffee, Topiary, Vineyard Berry & Juniper ink
Burnt Sienna fineliner pen (iBayam)
Nostalgiques Automobiles stickers (Stickopotamus)
Natural twill ribbon
Heart punch (EK Success)
Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug)
Cricut Design Space; window, tree, title
Challenges: Can You Handle the Pressure?  Used a dotted embossing folder to create some texture on my die-cut tree; Heart’s Quest Challenge Blog #87 Used hearts in three colors, including red; Little Red Wagon # 869 One Thing - mine is one window scene; Paper Rocks Scissors #18 Used scissors to trim the ribbon ends and to cut off part of the tree and car so they would fit in the window scene.

Globe Theater Layout

Still working on my London album, and I am hoping by the end of the month I will have finished scrapping the photos we took on April 29, 2017. Almost there! Anyway, these photos are from the reconstructed Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, which was built based on any available evidence of what the original building looked like, although they did have to make a few changes because of modern safety requirements. They were performing Romeo and Juliet that evening, but since it looked like it was going to be a modern production and we really would have loved to see Shakespearean costumes in this theatre, we decided not to go. But the tour was fun, at least.

The layout actually has lots of shimmer and shine from the gold leaf paper on top to the shimmer trim and the brown sparkles, but it's hard to see in the scan, so hopefully this photo will give you a better idea of that:

And here is a close-up of the embossing, since I am not sure you can even see it in the scan!

Recipe:
Love Life stamp set
Bonnie Belle Wedding paper (MAMBI)
Drama School paper (Scrapbook Customs)
Cashmere, Black & Espresso cardstock
Black ink
Mars Black fineliner pen (iBayam)
Yesterday & Today PML card
Reasons to Smile washi tape (American Crafts)
Gold shimmer trim
Brown sparkles
CTMH Sunbeam embossing folder
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: title, scalloped border, banner
Pattern: scraplift from Scrapbook.com
Challenges: Cut It Up #361 Emboss It - I included multiple die-cuts and embossed the black paper on the right; Can You Handle the Pressure? Use an embossing folder; Retro Rubber Challenges #277 - I used a flourish stamp from 2013 and went with the top line of the board.

Millennium Bridge Layout

Another layout for my London album, this time showing views of the Millennium Bridge over the River Thames. I was looking for some water or waves paper and found a Simple Stories beach themed paper pack that had just what I was looking for, plus it had some cool geotag/road map type paper that worked well for this layout. My pictures featured pretty drab colors with just a few pops of red, so I used the pink and red cardstock to cheer up the layout.

Recipe:
My Life stamp set
Just Beachy papers (Simple Stories)
Cotton Candy, Chocolate, Ruby, Blush, Black, Pewter & White cardstock
Bamboo, Flaxen, Juniper & Tulip ink
Very Merry Christmas wood stars (Pinkfresh)
Chocolate baker's twine
Slate polka dot washi tape
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: banners
Cricut You Are Here cartridge; bridge
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: arrow, notebook paper edge
Cricut Design Space: title using Amertha font
Challenges: A Cut Above Anything Goes including a die-cut; Love Those Pretty Papers Anything goes with patterned paper; NBUS Challenge #88 My never before used stuff is the patterned paper and the wooden stars; One More Page Scrapbook pages only; Paper Rocks Scissors #18 Used scissors to cut the baker's twine.

Fun & Sun Layout for LM #809

Today is a perfect day for the layout I just completed, since it's supposed to be sizzling here in Southern California! I plan to cool off in a movie theater this afternoon, but first let me share the latest Lasting Memories challenge with you. Design Team member Lisa has been sharing some mood boards with us, and I found inspiration from the lovely color palette of this week's board. Feel free to play along with this or any of the Lasting Memories challenges this month before the linky closes on Saturday. Here's my layout:

And here's the mood board:

Recipe:
Dotty for You papers
Honey Butter, Smoothie & Nectarine cardstock
Creme Brulee, Smoothie ink
Bug-a-Boo stickers (Frances Meyer)
Summer Afternoon enamel dots (Altenew)
Flower embossing folder (Cuttlebug)
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: title, sun
Pattern: Sketches in Thyme #717 (from Facebook) rotated left

Challenges: Can You Handle the Pressure? Use an embossing folder; Cut It Up #361 Use a die-cut + embossing; Let’s Craft and Create #233 Fun in the Sun.

Art {National Gallery} Layout

On our 2017 London trip, my hubby and I went to the National Gallery multiple times and tried to see as much art as possible, but I definitely didn't want to scrapbook all the photos we took, so here is a sampling of the 17th and 18th century paintings we photographed. The others are going in a pocket page. I also included the map of the National Gallery in a vellum pocket behind the photos, so it can slide out for future viewing. Funny story: I was trying to make sure the photos were all from the right centuries for this layout, and discovered that the map, while faithful to the time we visited, is now totally out of date. I guess the museum has so many pieces of art that they move them around depending on what they want to feature, so if we ever visit again, there is no guarantee we would see the same paintings!

Here are a couple of close-ups, one of the title and one of the map:

Recipe:

Belle Fleur paper (photoplay)

Watercolor paper

Vellum

Cranberry, Canary & Sage ink

Garden Green marker

DE Monograms chipboard

Belle Fleur Elements stickers (Photoplay)

Ink Splat stencil (Amazon)

3-D foam tape (Scrapbook.com)

Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #13

Challenges: The Outlawz Anything But a Card; Paper Rocks Scissors #18- used scissors to cut the little bumps off the chipboard letters; Stencil Fun –  included the optional twist of  patterns (stenciled ink blots on the chipboard letters).

Everyday London Layout

On the trip my hubby and I took to London in 2017, we saw many beautiful buildings that we did not have time to explore further, but I thought I would put a few of them together on a layout. The buildings paper from American Crafts was perfect for this layout! I also used a London newsprint paper that I had purchased, not realizing that it was all about Hyde Park, a place we never visited despite it being pretty close to our hotel. This seemed like a good opportunity for me to use a large piece of it, since there are photos and embellishments covering a lot of it.

Click on the photo to see a close-up of the details!

Recipe:
Vintage Type Alphabet stamp set
Vicki Boutin Mixed Media patterned paper (American Crafts)
The Flower Emporium papers (49 and Market)
Practically Perfect - London Examiner paper (carta Bella)
Peach, Black & White cardstock
White Daisy textured cardstock
Peach, Sky, Desert Sand & Whisper ink
Mars Black fineliner pen (iBayam)
Simple Vintage Junk Drawer foam stickers (Simple Stories)
Krafty Garden Essentials rub-on transfers (49 and Market)
Curiosities in Willow Grove rub-on transfers (49 and Market)
Black striped border sticker (MAMBI)
Mocha Opaques
Pink baker's twine (American Crafts)
Charmalong key charm (Bead Landing)
Brayer
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: postage frame, scalloped border
Cricut Design Space: viewfinder reel
Pattern: Dusty Attic Week 25 Sketch

Challenges: NBUS Challenges #88 My never before used stuff is the foam stickers and rub-ons; Love Those Pretty Papers Anything Goes with lots of patterned paper; Let’s Craft and Create #233 Anything Goes.