The Boy Who Could Sleep Anywhere Layout

I love these photos of my little guy sound asleep in his basket of stuffed animals, and was looking for a creative way to scrapbook them. I chose a Nuts About Sketches sketch, and decided to use a challenge from the Child's Play blog: be inspired by the children's book, Goodnight Moon. The cover of the book shows a star-filled window and some hideous orange and green striped curtains. CTMH has never come up with a paper pack that could do those curtains justice, but I found some striped paper that at least has green and orange in it, so I started with that, and then added some starry paper from the Stardust kit. I had a lot of fun making the title like a children's book title, and then I had the idea of writing "reviews" for it. Hope you enjoy them! (Click on the picture for an enlarged view if you want to read them without straining your eyes.) And finally, since I used only scraps on this layout, I want to enter it in the Heart 2 Heart scraps challenge.

Recipe:
Expedition & Stardust Level 2 papers
Stardust My Stickease
White Daisy, Autumn Terracotta, Sunflower & Bamboo cardstock
Autumn Terracotta ink
Topiary marker
Pattern: Nuts About Sketches Week 58

Oh What a Day Layout

One of the challenges for Splitcoast Stamper's Virtual Scrapbook Night (VSBN) was to scrapbook an exciting day about which, at the end of it, you looked back and said, "Oh, what a day!" Last year's Close to My Heart Convention was like that for me. The first day was such a whirlwind of activity and new products. I chose a few pictures to tell the story of that fun but slightly overwhelming day, and I placed the second page on a True-Fit Folio in which I can store the agenda and all the other info from the first day. Color Dare #9 from the Color My Heart blog was to use Petal and Creme Brulee on a project. I did, but I also added additional colors; even though I don't qualify for the challenge, thanks, Sarah, for getting me started. I used some buttons ( a couple are pretty old), so this also qualifies for the Stampin' Royalty challenge to use buttons. P.S. VSBN is still going on, so please feel free to join us for some fun challenges!

Recipe:
Trinity Alphabet stamp set
Bella Level 2 papers
Creme Brulee & Colonial White cardstock
Petal & Olive ink
Petal & Olive markers
Just Blooms - White Daisy, Spring Blossom & Paradise
Colonial White ric-rac
Craft buttons
Olive embroidery floss
Pattern: Let's Scrap 12-7-11

Gifts 4 Dad Layout

Today is the start of Virtual Scrapbook Night: Let's Go to the Fair at Splitcoast Stampers. I'm hosting a challenge based on the Photography Exhibit that is one of my favorite events at the L.A. County Fair. I'm asking everyone to create a layout with a focus photo that is emphasized in some way (enlarged, fancy matting, arrows pointing to it, etc.). Here's my layout; hopefully it isn't hard to see which picture is my focus! Please come join us for some fun challenges this weekend. Challenges are being posted today and tomorrow, and you have until August 18 to complete as many of them as you want.

Recipe:
Urban Alphabet, Friendship Alphabet Small, Universal Backgrounds, Holiday Hoopla & Jubilation stamp sets
Dotty for You Level 2 papers
Sky, Buttercup, Grey Wool, Sweet Leaf, & Colonial White cardstock
Grey Wool, Lagoon, Sweet Leaf & Creme Brulee ink
Grey Wool, Lagoon, Sweet Leaf & Creme Brulee markers
Colonial White embroidery floss
3-D foam tape
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: pennants, banner
Pattern: Let's Scrap 6-27-12

Tim & Erika Layout

Scrap It With a Song has another great challenge for this month: be inspired by the song, "Every Girl Like Me." The lyrics made a wonderful addition to a wedding layout on which I was working. I used the first verse as part of my journaling. I also wanted to participate in the Colors of the Sea challenge from Through the Craft Room Door. Here's the inspiration photo:

I picked up the blue, yellow, purple and green for my layout. I originally had my photos laid out on Lagoon cardstock, but thought it was too bold for these pictures, so I stamped a background image on White Daisy cardstock using Versmark ink, embossed the stamped image using clear embossing powder, and then sponged Lagoon ink over it. I love the more subtle shade this created. If you can't see it very well, click on the photo to get a close-up. 4 Crafty Chicks is asking to see wedding-related artwork this week, so I also want to enter this layout in that challenge.

Recipe:
Diverse Backgrounds stamp set
Petal, Gypsy, Pansy, Topiary, Buttercup & White Daisy cardstock
Lagoon, Black, Blush & Versamark ink
Topiary Bigger brads
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: flowers, flourishes, lattice border
Pattern: Let's Scrap 6-8-11

Creative Belli Christmas in July

The wonderful ladies over at the Creative Belli Blog have invited me to be a guest designer this week for their Christmas in July challenge! I pulled out a few stamps from the Glory to God stamp set and got to work. It was fun figuring out the layering on this card; I was stuck on how to get the shepherd layer on top of the Bethlehem scene and the night sky without fussy-cutting him, but then I thought of stamping him on vellum. Love how it turned out and I hope you do, too. Annabelle Stamps is also doing a Christmas in July challenges, so I thought I'd submit my card there, too.

Recipe:
Glory to God & Everlasting Life stamp sets
Superhero Level 2 papers
Outdoor Denim, Kraft, Colonial White & Black cardstock
Vellum
Chocolate & Versamark ink
White & black embossing powder
Colonial White brads
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: frame, star

Home from Yosemite!

You may have noticed I've been MIA for the past week. My family took a week-long vacation to Yosemite National Park. We got home Sunday, and I finally finished washing all our dirty clothes today. There's nothing like a camping trip to turn all your white socks gray! Even thought I am not fond of camping, I have to admit it was a great trip. Here's a quote from my 7 year old, Elliot (made as we drove into the Yosemite Valley) that sums up the up-side and the down-side to camping: "I really gotta pee, but I'm soooo happy!"

Heart 2 Heart Sketch Challenge 18 - Our Favorite Thrills

Welcome to another sketch challenge for Heart 2 Heart! The two pages have basically the same structure, but the arrangement of the photos and embellishments is different. There are also several free-standing 4" x 6" photos, so you can add Flip-Flaps if you want to get more photos on the layout. As always, change what you need, have fun, and please post a link to your finished post on the Heart 2 Heart blog so we can see your layout. In honor of the CTMH Convention this weekend, I thought I'd scrapbook the photos from last year's event, which was held at the Disneyland Hotel. My family joined me for an evening at Disneyland, so those are the photos I chose. One fun thing I tried on the layout: I used the wood grain stamp from Universal backgrounds to make the flag-pole for my banner. It was a bit of a chore getting the cardstock to curl, but I think the result was worth it (you might have to click on the layout to see this close-up).

The Sketch:

My Layout:

Recipe:
Hodgepodge Alphabet & Universal Backgrounds stamp sets
Superhero Level 2 papers
Desert Sand, Cranberry, Black & White Daisy cardstock
Desert Sand, Cranberry, Moonstruck, Cocoa & Versamark ink
Black marker
White embossing powder
Cranberry craft buttons
3-D foam squares
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: pennants
Wishblade: title using Brush Script font

TTCRD Christmas in July

The design team at Through the Craft Room Door is asking to see our Christmas cards for their Christmas in July challenge. I must confess, it's been extremely hot here in Southern California, so it was hard to get into the mood for crafting Christmas cards, but I turned the fan on extra-high and imagined myself at the North Pole, and soon the ideas started flowing. I used the Enchanting Enclosure pattern from Wishes because it reminded me of a present, all wrapped up and ready to give!

Recipe:
Christmas Love stamp set
Believe Level 2 papers
Desert Sand & Chocolate cardstock
Desert Sand, Sky, Holiday Red, & Chocolate ink
Sweet Leaf ribbon
Bitty Sparkles
3-D foam tape

Laurie & Sam Layout

I love these cute wedding photos of our good friends Laurie and Sam. I pulled out a sketch from Nuts About Sketches and some old papers from the Silhouette pack, and went to work to create a layout that is (hopefully) as beautiful as they are. Some challenges I'm entering: Heart 2 Heart Challenges asked us to include 2 lines, a circle, and a square on our artwork,  the Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday Challenge was to stamp on your artwork (I added the date stamp), at 4 Crafty Chicks they asked us to use stripes, and the Southern Girls challenge was to use pearls (mine are on the butterflies and lacy circle).

Recipe:
Save the Date stamp set
Silhouette Level 2 papers
Moonstruck, Desert Sand, Black & White Daisy cardstock
Moonstruck, Desert Sand & Black ink
White Daisy Just Blooms
Flutter Just Blooms
Decor Journaling Spot
Antiqued Copper Designer Brads, Bigger Brads & brads
Pearl Opaques & Bitty Opaques
Mocha Opaques
Metallic blue ribbon (Michaels)
Scalloped border punch (Fiskars)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: scalloped circles, lacy circle
Wishblade: title using Script MT Bold font
Pattern: Nuts About Sketches Week 204

So Far Out of Reach Layout

This week, the challenge over at Scrap It With a Song was to take inspiration from Tom Petty's "American Girl." I struggled a bit trying to figure out what I could scrapbook for this challenge, but one of the  lines caught my eye: "it's so painful when something that's so close is still so far out of reach." I started thinking about a fund-raiser we had at church last year to raise money for a clean-water well in Sierra Leone, where much of the rural population does not have access to clean water. Thanks to our fund-raising efforts (which included a blood drive, silent auction, and ticket sales for an evening of entertainment by comedian Michael Jr.), two villages now have their own wells and are being educated about the importance of clean water.There are so many other people who can only dream about clean water, but I am thankful that there are two fewer places in the world where children are dying because of unsafe water.

Recipe:
Newprint Alphabet (SU) & Tiny Typewriter stamp sets
Superheroes & Twitterpated Level 2 papers
Sky & White Daisy cardstock
Moonstruck, Sky & Desert Sand ink
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: waterdrops
Pattern: Sketch Support 2 Page Sketch #1

Dotty for You Cards

I've been working on a few cards for the Dotty for You workshop I hosted last night. All my gals who purchased a paper pack came and made cards. Here are a few of my favorites. I lifted ideas from several sources and can't remember now where I got the ideas, so if you inspired me, thanks!

Recipe:
4 My Friend & AP Tags stamp sets
Dotty for You papers
Lagoon, Sunset, Gray Wool, Buttercup, Sweet Leaf & Colonial White cardstock
Lagoon, Sunset, Gray Wool, Sweet Leaf & Smoothie ink
Sunset marker
Clear craft buttons
White grosgrain ribbon
Lagoon Baker's Twine
Pearl Opaques
Colonial White brads
3-D foam tape
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: all shapes

EMS Sketch Challenge 38 - Wild Ones

Who is ready for another sketch? This is a fun and easy one that can either be used as is or flipped on its side if you want to showcase horizontal photos. I used this sketch for a Scrap It With a Song challenge: pull inspiration from "Wild Ones" by Flo Rida. It seemed like a perfect title for this layout of my silly boys! For the title, I used my Wishblade and the cool Jokerman font, but it still looked like it needed something, so I fussy cut the monkey out of a piece of the Animal Cookies paper and had him swinging from the "W." If you want to play along at Scrap It With a Song, you have until the end of the month.

The Sketch:

My Layout:

Recipe:
Animal Cookies Level 2 papers
Sunflower, Chocolate Topiary & White Daisy cardstock
Chocolate & Dutch Blue markers
Natural hemp
Tulip & Dutch Blue craft buttons
White Daisy embroidery floss
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: starburst shape
Wishblade: title cut using Jokerman font

Gift Layout

Here's the last layout for my son's first grade career. The latest challenge for Splitcoast Stamper's Virtual Scrapbook Night: Fun at the Fair was based on some of the yummy foods you get to sample at the fair. I chose to be inspired by the colors of candied apples - red or green mixed with caramel. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! I used a sketch from Sketch Savvy and threw in some stars to go with the stars challenge from the Creative Belli blog (and because my son is always a star to me).

Recipe:
Vintage Type, Diverse Backgrounds & Celebrate the Everyday stamp sets
Believe Level 2 papers
Gray Wool, Sweet Leaf, Holiday Red, Desert Sand & White Daisy cardstock
Gray Wool, Sweet Leaf, Holiday Red, Desert Sand & Sky ink
Gray Wool marker
Dimensional Elements Stars
White Daisy ric-rac
Sky brads & Bigger Brads
Pattern: Sketch Savvy #22
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: journaling shape
Wishblade: title, circle border

Homework Layout

I'm still getting caught up on my older son's school album, so here is another layout for that. I was inspired by a scraplift challenge over at Paper Secrets. You can check out the link to see what elements I lifted. My son really struggled with homework the first few years of his school career, so my hidden journaling explores some of our hardships in that area. And since homework is one of the thing I'm really glad I don't have to do during the summer, I thought I'd enter this in the School's Out challenge over at 4 Crafty Chicks.

UPDATE: THIS LAYOUT WAS IN THE TOP 3 PICKS AT 4 CRAFTY CHICKS!

Recipe:
A Typeface stamp set
Typeset Level 2 papers
Kraft & Colonial White cardstock
Cocoa, Vineyard Berry, Juniper & Bamboo ink
Cocoa marker
Milepost Shapes
Dimensional Elements Monograms "A"
Cocoa, Juniper, Colonial White & Clear craft buttons
Colonial White & Chocolate embroidery floss
Cocoa grosgrain ribbon
Juniper photo hanger
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: bracket, edge shapes

Run Layout

 

This is a super simple layout, but I love it anyway! To start with, I wanted to enter Dynamic Duos Color Challenge #9. I chose Bamboo as the closest CTMH color to Crumb Cake, but I wasn't sure what would be my second color choice. Then, while checking out Nike Dunks for the Scrapbook Inspiration Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers, I saw these and realized Cranberry would be the perfect color complement for this layout. I used the tracing feature with Silhouette Studio and my Wishblade to design the title, and I dry embossed the Cranberry cardstock and then sanded it to show the white lines. I kept thinking I should add some embellishments, but in the end decided to leave it alone. Hope you like it.

Recipe:
Sweetheart Level 2 paper
Cranberry, Bamboo, Black & White Daisy cardstock
Black ink
Black marker
Pattern: Nuts About Sketches Week 213
Wishblade: title