Tide Pool Layout

National Scrapbook Day Challenge #20 at Let's Scrap was to use at least 5 different scraps of paper on your layout. I think I need to do this challenge about 300 times to clear out all the scraps in my stash, but I did use up a few pieces of scraps on this layout!

Recipe:
You Rock Level 2 papers
Outdoor Denim, Olive, Petal & Goldrush ink
Outdoor Denim marker
Color-Ready Cork Alphabet
Indian Corn Blue, Hydrangea & Goldrush embroidery floss
Pattern: Let's Scrap 11-28-12
Challenges: Little Red Wagon Put a Cork In It challenge

Mr. Smiler's Big Day Layout

I'm trying to sneak in another challenge from Let's Scrap before the deadline (May 31st!), so here it is. We were asked to use the provided sketch and create a birthday layout that didn't look birthday-ish! I had to think about this one for a while, but I finally came up with these great photos from my son's first birthday. Since he was such a cheerful baby, we nicknamed him Mr. Smiler, so the choice of a happy face birthday party was really a no-brainer. A friend gave me the happy face foamies seven years ago and they've been waiting for me to get around to scrapping this event!

Recipe:
Hodgepodge Alphabet stamp set
Dotty for You Level 2 papers
Whisper, Lagoon & Black cardstock
Lagoon Creme Brulee & Black ink
Happy Face foamies (from my stash)
Lagoon & Creme Brulee baker's twine
Black Bitty Brads
Pattern: Let's Scrap 5-11-13

SCS Variety Challenge 189 - Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

It's been a while since our last Variety Challenge for Splitcoast Stampers, so here's another fun one to try. To play along, simply click the link below!

SBVC189 - Going Gray
Gray is the new “go-to” neutral, so create a layout using gray as your primary neutral.

Here's my layout. This was a fun challenge for me, since I would have usually gravitated towards using a tan color as my neutral. However, since there is a lot of gray and blue-gray in my photos, I like the result.

Recipe:
Vintage Type stamp set
Cherry-O Level 2 papers
Slate, Indian Corn Blue, Goldrush, Outdoor Denim & White Daisy cardstock
Slate, Indian Corn Blue & Goldrush ink
Outdoor Denim marker
Slate Washi tape
Indian Corn Blue & Goldrush embroidery floss
Pattern: Let's Scrap 11-28-12
Challenges: Heart 2 Heart Nip & Tuck stitching challenge,  Stampin' Royalty photo inspiration (the banners, stripes, and circles for the title)

EMS Sketch Challenge 44 - Memorial Day Bonus

Happy Memorial Day to everyone! Our family raised our flag this morning and said the pledge of allegiance, and now we're looking forward to a barbecue with friends this evening. As a special little Memorial Day bonus, I whipped up a fun sketch challenge for you all.There's room for 10 photos on this layout, or you could switch the smaller photos on the left page out for a couple of 6"x 4" ones and still be able to scrap 8 pictures. I added some stars and stripes in honor of today, but you can use any embellishment that suits your theme. Have fun and don't forgot to share your finished work so I can ooh and aah over it!

Check out a sample layout using this sketch here!

Elliot's Bad Hair Day Layout

Both 4 Crafty Chicks and Heart 2 Heart had challenges this week to use critters / creatures on our artwork, and Little Red Wagon was asking to see puns, so I put these three challenges together with this funny picture of my son Elliot when he was a baby and came up with the title for this layout. Hopefully I do not have to explain the bunnies on the layout. If I do, it's just not as funny as I thought it was! Oh well, at least I used up some old CTMH supplies . . .

Recipe:
Hodgepodge Alphabet, Holiday Hoopla, Welcome Baby & Grown with Love stamp sets
Animal Cookies Level 1 papers
Dutch Blue, Goldrush, Creme Brulee & Colonial White cardstock
Dutch Blue, Chocolate, Tulip & Clover Meadow ink
Dutch Blue marker
Chocolate striped ribbon
Tulip Bigger Brad
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: scalloped frame, photo corner

Our 12 Month Journey to Adoption Layout

I finally got my photos developed so I could do the "12 Ages and Stages" challenge over at Let's Scrap.We were given a sketch and asked to create a layout using 12 photos that represent something in our lives. I chose to use photos from my younger son's adoption day, since it took 12 months from the time he was placed with us until we went to court for the finalization. The journaling is written on the tags, which pull out so you can read them. I also was inspired by the Cupcake Special #3 Challenge from 2 Broke Girls, which led me to pick the circle paper and add the flowers because they reminded me of elements on the cupcake!

And here's my layout. Obviously I did not go with the color scheme from the cupcake, although there is chocolate and yellow on my layout . . .

Recipe:
Connections & Universal Backgrounds stamp set
Emporium Level 2 papers
Chocolate, Buttercup, Sky & White Daisy cardstock
Chocolate, Creme Brulee & Vineyard Berry ink
Chocolate & Sweet Leaf markers
Chocolate striped grosgrain ribbon
White Daisy embroidery floss
White Daisy flower brads
Staples
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: tags
Cricut Artiste cartridge: flowers
Pattern: Let's Scrap 5-6-13
Challenges: Creative Belli's Flower challenge

Mug & Muffin Layout

I skipped ahead to Challenge 13 from Splitcoast Stampers' Virtual Scrapbook Night. Sharon's mom has a favorite saying, "Oh, shoot a pickle!," so Sharon's challenge was to scrap a page that was either predominately green or was about food. I chose to go the food route, since I had some pictures of a potluck event at church. I started with Sketch 32 from Sketch-N-Scrap (it's actually a single page sketch but I mirrored it for the second page) and added spots for the Southern Girls Spotty Dotty challenge and flowers for the Heart 2 Heart May Flowers challenge.

Recipe:
Dotty for You Level 2 papers
Whisper, Buttercup & Colonial White cardstock
Whisper & Lagoon ink
Grey marker (Zig)
Paradise & Spring Blossom Just Blooms
Colonial White & Sweet Leaf brads
Colonial White ric-rac
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: title

Dinos Layout

Two posts in one day - wow! I got a lot of scrapping in today, so I thought I'd share another layout with you. I wanted to play along with challenge 2 from Virtual Scrapbook Night at Splitcoast stampers: try making a layout without any white on it. Create your own “white space” without one drop of white.

I started with National Scrapbook Day Sketch 6 from 2 Broke Girls.

And here's what I came up with. I forgot I wasn't supposed to use white and I added white ribbon, so then I had to sponge my ribbon with Bamboo ink to get it to a different color! Guess I should have had the challenge right in front of me while I was working . . .

Recipe:
Cocktail Alphabet & Roar stamp sets
Moon Doggie Level 2 papers
Desert Sand & Colonial White cardstock
Cranberry, Garden Green, Indian Corn Blue & Bamboo ink
Colonial White twill ribbon
Garden Green conchos
Pattern: 2 Broke Girls NSD Sketch 6

Open the Door to Explore Layout

I'm hostessing a challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers for their Virtual Scrapbook Night. Come join us! The theme this time is My Mother Always Said, and here's my challenge: One of the things I remember my mom saying often as her four children ran in and out of the house was, “Shut the door! Do you think we live in a barn?” As a mom myself now, I find myself shutting doors after my kids all the time, so I can understand her frustration. My challenge: In honor of mom, please create a layout that has a “door” on it. It can be a stamped or die-cut door, or it can be something that opens and closes like a door or it can be a totally different idea that you dream up. Get creative and have fun!

For my sample, I chose to scrapbook pictures of my son at the fair, and I not only incorporated the idea of the door in my title, but also made a swing-open door for the picture of my son and his buddy in the "jail" at the fair.

Recipe:
Headline Alphabet & A Typeface stamp sets
Dreamin' Level 2 papers
Bamboo, Chocolate & Colonial White cardstock
Pacifica & Chocolate ink
Colonial White brads
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge 29
Challenges: Splitcoast Stampers VSBN Challenge 14

Fairview Farms Layout

It's the second Wednesday of the month and I usually post a Variety Challenge for Splitcoast Stampers, but we're having a week-long Virtual Scrapbook Night with tons of challenges, so I'm taking a break to allow people to participate in that. Feel free to hop on over and check it out! The theme is "Mother Said," and all the challenges are oriented around mom-isms. Here's my first layout, based on Fashion Mom-ism #1, and the challenge is to do a simple, 1-3 picture, monochromatic layout. (There's another challenge for the "wild child," but I'm definitely in the "dutiful child" category)! My layout is based on shades of brown, but I did throw in a pop of yellow, so maybe there's a little bit of the wild child in me after all!

Recipe:
Journaling Jots & He Said She Said stamp sets
Buzz and Bumble & Dreamin' Level 2 papers
Champagne, Saddle & Colonial White cardstock
Saddle, Cocoa & Honey ink
Coca & Desert Sand markers
White Daisy & Spring Blossom Just Blooms
Cocoa & Chocolate brads
3-D foam tape
Pattern: Let's Scrap 3-24-10
Other challenges: Let's Scrap NSD Challenge #4

He Layout

I discovered a new challenge site this week, 2 Broke Girls,  and thought I'd give one of the challenges a whirl. The Last Bite word challenge asked us to build a layout around either "He" or "She." Since I have boys, I picked "He," and my layout features pictures of my son at the fair. My journaling uses phrases that start with "he" and describes his experience at the fair. I also used papers from my stash that are several years old, so I'm entering this into the Clear It Out challenge to use 2 or more patterned papers.

Recipe:
Spot On Backgrounds stamp set
Stardust Level 2 papers & My Stickease
Moonstruck, Honey, Desert Sand & White Daisy cardstock
Moonstruck, Desert Sand & Versamark ink
Moonstruck marker
DE Monograms "H", "E"
Clear embossing powder
White Daisy ric-rac
Pattern: Let's Scrap 6-13-12

EMS Sketch Challenge 43 - Family

I couldn't find exactly the right sketch for these fun family photos, so I created my own featuring five small photos and several strips of papers. A layout could easily be constructed using scraps from your stash. Have fun, change up what you need, and don't forget to let me know if you get a chance to use it!

The Sketch:

 

My Layout:

Recipe:
Vintage Type & Surf's Up stamp sets
Surf's Up level 2 papers
Chocolate and Colonial White cardstock
Sorbet, Crystal Blue, Chocolate & Creme Brulee ink
3-D foam tape

Look Layout

Color My Heart has a challenge to use Cocoa, Saddle, and a color of our choice on our layout or card. I chose to add Pear to this layout of pictures from the Chula Vista Nature Center.

Recipe:
Chantilly Level 2 papers
Saddle, Cocoa & Bamboo cardstock
Pear, Saddle & Cocoa ink
Cocoa marker
Pear craft buttons
Natural hemp
Fiskars scalloped border punch
DE Monograms "L", "O", "K"
Pattern: Heart 2 Heart Sketch 9

2nd Grade Layout

National Scrapbook Day Challenge #3 at Let's Scrap was to use a line from the provided bingo card and place all the elements on a single layout. I chose the line that said distressing, ribbon, sketch, one photo, and hidden journaling. I'm not really big on scrapping just one photo, but this seemed like a perfect opportunity to get caught up on my older son's school album. He's graduating 5th grade in June and I'm still on 2nd grade photos!

Recipe:
Tiny Typewriter Alphabet stamp set
Lucky Level 2 papers & chipboard assortment
Outdoor Denim, Olive, Sunset & Colonial White cardstock
Desert Sand, Olive & Outdoor Denim ink
Olive marker
Burlap ribbon
Colonial White grosgrain ribbon
Olive embroidery floss & baker's twine
Wicker Weave embossing folder (Cuttlebug)
Staples
3-D foam tape
Pattern: Let's Scrap 9-8-10
Cricut Artiste cartridge: notepaper border
Challenges: Stars challenge from 4 Crafty Chicks

Wonderful Layout

As I scrapped these pictures from the Chula Vista Nature Center, I couldn't help marveling at the variety of sea life we saw. These tanks weren't as colorful as the ones with the blown glass sculptures, but it allowed us to get a different perspective on the creatures of the sea. I played along with the Keep It Earthy challenge by Vicky from Splitcoast Stampers, who asked us to use earth tones in our scrapbooking. It was also fun to use one of my previous sketches and see how different I could make the finished layout. Click on the link at the bottom to see the sketch and my original layout!

Recipe:
At the Aquarium stamp set
Passages Level 2 papers
Olive & Champagne cardstock
Cocoa & Goldrush ink
Love Letters Rub-Ons
White Daisy brads
Olive embroidery floss
Pattern: EMS Sketch 40

Rainy Day Revel Layout

I'm embarrassed to say that I printed out these pictures in 2008, picked out papers and purchased ghost letters to use on the layout, and then put the whole project away in a page protector and never got back to it. I think the bold colors of the Basic Grey papers overwhelmed me a bit, and I wasn't quite sure what to  do with the ghost letters. I found the package today and determined I would finally scrap it. A Let's Scrap sketch gave me a place to start, and then I chose a title and a fun quote to use so I could participate in the quotes challenge from Southern Girls. Painting the letters made them stand out, and I topped it off with a die-cut sun and some clouds.

Recipe:
My Sunshine stamp set
Color Me Silly papers (Basic Grey)
Colonial White cardstock
Honey, Cocoa & Whisper ink
Cocoa & Silver Metallics markers
Ghost letters (Heidi Swapp)
White paint(Delta Ceramcoat)
Cricut Artiste cartridge: sun, clouds
Pattern: Let's Scrap 10-27-10

Somewhere in the Ocean Layout

Let's Scrap is posting a daily challenge in celebration of National Scrapbooking Month. I don't think I'll make it to 31 layouts, but it sounded like fun, so I'm going to play along as often as I can. The first challenge was to "create a layout using a quote from your favorite book. It can be the title or somewhere on your page. Let the book inspire the colors and details on your page." Since I was scrapping pictures of sea life, I immediately thought of a book that had been my children's favorite for a long time: "Somewhere in the Ocean." I loved reading it to them, so I decided to use the title (which is also repeated on every page) as my layout title. I also lifted the title treatment, and the idea for the colors of the page came from the title page.

My Inspiration:

My Layout:

 

Recipe:
Tiny Typewrite Alphabet & Boutique Borders stamp sets
Lagoon, Crystal Blue, Sweet Leaf, Olive, New England Ivy, Sunset & Colonial White cardstock
Lagoon, Crystal Blue, Sweet Leaf, Olive & New England Ivy ink
Ocean marker
Fish punch (EK Success)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: title
Pattern: Let's Scrap 2-22-12