Bus Tour Layout

I had lots of fun with this layout. I wanted to participate in the Scrap It Girl challenge from 1/11: use items that start with C, H & A on your layout (in honor of CHA). I chose chipboard, hemp, and arrows. Frosted Designs had a challenge to add vellum, acrylic, or a transparency to your layout, so I added vellum. And finally, for the Split Coast Stampers variety challenge to stack something up, I stacked my chipboard letters. The letters actually have a lot of layers: I started with paint, then I added some texture by pressing a piece of twill ribbon onto the paint while it was still wet, then I lightly sponged Outdoor Denim ink onto the dry letters, and finally I stamped a design using Desert Sand ink. I then stacked the letters over vellum and over themselves so they overlap. Fun!

Recipe:
Live Inspired stamp set
Majestic Blue Level 2 papers
Desert Sand, Outdoor Denim, Bamboo & Colonial White cardstock
Desert Sand & Outdoor Denim ink
Natural hemp
Outdoor Denim brads
Vellum (The Paper Company)
Chipboard letters & shape (unknown source)
Create-a-Shade paint
3-D foam tape
Pattern: Understudy from Imagine

Buenos Aires Layout

My mojo has not been flowing much this year, so I decided to sit down and force myself to scrap today! I'm glad I did, because this layout is the result. I was able to participate in two challenges; for the one from Heart 2 Heart, I used a stamp set I've had for quite a while but had never used before (Live Inspired), and for the Split Coast Stamping Inspiration Challenge, I added buttons to the page. I was also inspired by a couple of cards, one from Helen Onulak (stamping on a paper flower) and one from Cibele Glazer (the explore element).

Recipe:
Live Inspired & A Typeface stamp sets
Passages Level 2 papers
Colonial White, Cocoa, Bamboo & Desert Sand cardstock
Cocoa, Desert Sand & Cranberry ink
White Daisy Just Blooms
Craft buttons
Natural hemp
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: flourishes, journaling box
Pattern: Winning Layout from Cherish

Heart 2 Heart Sketch Challenge 12 - Plaza

Time for another Heart 2 Heart scrapbooking sketch! I recently had a request for more white space on my next sketch. In general, I have a ton of photos to scrap, so I have a hard time "wasting" space on my layouts, but here is my humble attempt to leave some empty space for you! I know, it's not much, but see what you can do with it. Enjoy, and don't forget to show us what you did with the sketch.

The sketch:

My layout:

Recipe:
That's Amore Level 2 papers
Black, Barn Red & Buttercup cardstock
Black ink
Black brads
White Daisy organdy ribbon
Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge: flowers, border, photo corners
Title cut out on my Wishblade

Zoo Layouts

Here is my last layout of 2011 and my first of 2012. I decided to post them together since they are on the same subject. I pre-designed both layouts using Studio J, and then used the papers I had to recreate the layouts. My hubby thought it was a lot of extra work, but it was worth it to be able to see what the layout would look like before I even cut a piece of paper!

Recipe:
Expedition Level 2 papers
Olive, Autumn Terracotta, Bamboo & Colonial White cardstock
Olive & Autumn Terracotta ink
Olive marker
Title cut out using my Wishblade
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge
Pattern: Sidebar - Original & Sampler - Nine Photo Quilt from Reflections

Recipe:
Field Trip Alphabet stamp set
Lucky Level 2 papers & Chipboard Assortment
Cocoa, Outdoor Denim, Desert Sand & Colonial White cardstock
Outdoor Denim & Versamark ink
Cocoa marker
White embossing powder
Olive brads
Pattern: Stars Above from Imagine

Happy New Year!

Good morning, everyone, and a happy belated new year to you. I've been out of town with my family since Saturday, and have had little to no internet access - life was tough! Hope you all are having a great year so far. I thought I'd start by telling everyone that the new Heart 2 Heart design team members have been selected and are preparing their artwork to show you! If you scroll down to the bottom of my blog, you can see the two teams that will (on alternate weeks) be bringing you fabulous challenges using Close to My Heart products. Click on any of the names to check out their blogs. Mary has asked me to continue to bring you a scrapbooking sketch on the 15th of every month, and I would love to see lots of people playing along. If you have any thoughts on what type of sketches you want (multi-photo, more vs. less white space, shaped pictures, etc.), please let me know. I've also set my scrapbooking goal for the year (150 layouts), and I'm going to try to get off to a good start by completing 20 layouts this month. I want to use up a bunch of old CTMH paper kits before I purchase a lots of new stuff from the new CTMH idea book (released on February 1st). Wish me luck!