Lego Egypt Layout

It's the last day of August, so I decided to do another layout using the sketch for the month. Heart 2 Heart had a fun challenge this week to create a scene on your artwork, and that inspired me to add the sand dunes, pyramids, and sun to my layout. Thanks, H2H! Not sure what I would have done with this layout otherwise since I have no Egyptian themed paper in my stash. The layout turned out pretty simple, but my boys loved it. By the way, I'm starting a LOAD (Layout a Day) challenge tomorrow with Let's Scrap, so there may be more simple layouts coming up. My goal is to get the photos scrapped and into my albums, and to use up my stash, so wish me luck!

Recipe:
Rustic Alphabet & A Typeface stamp sets
Felicity & Twitterpated Level 2 papers
Sky, Bamboo, Desert Sand, Honey & Twilight cardstock
Bamboo, Desert Sand, Honey & Twilight ink
Twilight marker
Cricut Artiste cartridge: sun
Cricut Art Philosophy: borders

Laughing Lola Cards

I just finished the last of the sample cards for my Laughing Lola card workshop, so I though I'd share them all at once with you. I played along with a few challenges, so be sure to look below each card to see my inspiration!

 Challenge: Heart 2 Heart Sentiment-ally Yours

 Challenge: Little Red Wagon polka dots

 Challenge: Southern Girls Warm Fuzzies

Challenge: Let's Scrap 8-21-13 card sketch

Recipe:

4 My Friend, Frame Flair, Outta This World, Atomic Caps, Thank You, Artiste Word Balloons & You Are My Happy stamp sets

Laughing Lola Level 2 papers

Black, Gypsy, Crystal Blue, Laughing Lola Gold & White Daisy cardstock

Black, Gypsy & Crystal Blue ink

Crystal Blue, Gypsy, Buttercup & Gold metallics marker

Black glitter tape

Licorice Opaques

White Pearl Opaques

White Daisy grosgrain ribbon & ric-rac

Liquid Glass

3-D foam tape

Cricut Artiste & Art Philosophy cartridges: all die-cut pieces

SCS Variety Challenge 195 - Dad at Legoland

Another Splitcoast Stampers Variety Challenge coming your way. Please click on the link below to play along.

SVBC195 - Going Geometric
For this week's Variety Challenge, I want you to put away all those pretty papers with bunnies and flowers on them and start thinking bold! It's time to use those geometric patterns, all your circles, squares, stripes, rectangles, and arrows. I encourage you to reach for some stars! Hexagons are still hot, and kudos to you if you can fit some triangles on your layout.

Recipe:
Autumn Garden, Fanfare, Lucky, Elemental, Dreamin' & Felicity Level 2 papers 
Chocolate,Bamboo & White Daisy cardstock
Chocolate, Cashmere & Crystal Blue inks
Pacifica marker
DE Monograms "D" & "E"
You & Me kit chipboard arrow
Blue hemp (SU)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: tag, stars
Pattern: Sketches in Thyme 120
Challenges: Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday chipboard challenge; Stampin' Royalty circles challenge

This month's sketch challenge . . .

It's almost time for this month's sketch challenge to go away and a new one to be posted, so don't forget to play along and post your layout inspired by the sketch by August 31st. One lucky scrapper will get to be a guest designer for the October sketch challenge! You can click on the sketch below to see a larger version, or use on the link in my sidebar to see the original post and to link up your layout. Happy scrapping.

Elliot at Legoland Layout

For our family visit to Legoland, I decided to do a page that features each member of our family. Here's the first one, with my youngest son Elliot and some of his favorite activities. The inspiration photo over at 4 Crafty Chicks inspired me to add the ric-rac to my layout (it reminded me of the zig-zags on the afgan).

Update: This photo was a winner in the 4 Crafty Chicks Challenge. Woohoo!

Recipe:
A Typeface stamp set
KI Memories circle paper
Cranberry, Crystal Blue, Honey & White Daisy cardstock
Cranberry, Crystal Blue & Honey ink
Green, red & blue ric-rac (Craft Essentials)
Crystal Blue Bitty Brad
Cricut Artiste cartridge: title
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: circles
Pattern: Let's Scrap Sketch 3-7-12

Ye Olde Pirate Wedding Layout

Let's Scrap has a monthly challenge to use up older items from your stash, and I figured I could certainly use a few stash items on this layout. Here's the list:
• 3 patterned papers (my strips are mostly patterned paper)
• 2 colors of cardstock (I used 7)
• ink (lots of ink on my paper edges, plus the title)
• alphabet stickers (didn't have those but I got permission to use what I have, which is stamps)
• photo corners (oldest thing in my stash, dating from 1999!)
• 6 eyelets or brads (eyelets made perfect cannon muzzles for the pirate ship)
• either washi tape, ribbon, or twine (I picked washi tape).
Now head on over to Let's Scrap to check out all their fun challenges!

Recipe:
Glamour Uppercase & Lowercase Alphabet stamp sets
For Always Level 2 papers
Desert Sand, Black, Cranberry, Cocoa, Slate, Honey & White Daisy cardstock
Black ink
Black marker
Photo corners (CM)
Silver eyelets (MM)
Gold Stickles (Ranger)
Slate washi tape
Wishblade: pirate ship, treasure chest
Pattern: Let's Scrap sketch 12-14-11
Challenges: Creative Belli glitter challenge (gold Stickles on my pirate treasure!)

The Great Pumpkin Adventure Layout

I was invited to be a guest designer for Child's Play Challenges this month, and I needed to find inspiration from the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" This was a bit of a puzzle for me since I didn't really have any nature photos that I needed to scrap, but as I looked at the bear, it occurred to me that he kinda looks paper pieced. Voila, I knew what to do. I had an unfinished Halloween pumpkins layout that I had been working on this week that needed a special touch, plus I remembered this card from talented CTMH consultant Jody Gustafson, and I put the ideas together to create paper pieced pumpkins to match the layout! Be sure to visit Child's Play to see the creative ways the design team was inspired by the book.

Recipe:
Spellbound Level 2 papers
Sunset, Olive, Black, Desert Sand & White Daisy cardstock
Black & Olive ink
Black and Olive markers
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge 32
Wishblade: title
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: circles, ovals

SCS Variety Challenge 194 - Spooky Halloween

It's the second Wednesday of the month, and that means another Splitcoast Stampers' Variety Challenge is headed your way! Feel free to play along using the link below. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

SBVC194 - Going Through the Motions
For this week's challenge, include a movable part on your layout. This could be anything from a spinner that moves to point to various items to the rotating wheels on a stamped or paper pieced train.

This challenge helped me add a fun finishing touch to my layout. I knew I wanted to add a spider to the web on the right hand page, but then I thought how fun it would be if the spider actually moved. I put my thinking cap on and, with the use of some embroidery floss and my paper piercer, my little spider can creep to the edge of his web and back to the center. Fun!

A quick recommendation if you're going to use a technique similar to mine and your die-cut has small parts: coat it with Liquid Glass or a similar product to make it a little stronger. My kids have been playing with the spider and it looks a little bedraggled now!

Recipe:
Moonlight Level 2 papers
Autumn Terracotta, Black, Slate & Colonial White cardstock
Black marker
Black embroidery floss
Black & Autumn Terracotta Bigger Brads
Autumn Terracotta spiral clip
Cricut Artiste cartridge: spiderwebs, spiders, skull, title
Pattern: Sketch 'n Scrap #38

SCS Virtual Scrapbook Night!

It's time for Virtual Scrapbook Night at Splitcoast Stampers, and I'm hosting a challenge. The theme is techniques, so I picked the following easy but fun one for you to try. Feel free to pop on over to SCS and join the challenges! We have four scheduled this weekend, and another whole weekend of challenges is slated for September. Hope to see you at SCS!

Positively Negative Challenge
Do you ever wonder what to do with the paper you have left over after punching or die-cutting an image? With a little advanced planning, you can save that scrap from your trash can and use it on your layout.
• First, punch or die-cut a shape. Be sure to leave a little space around all sides.
• Cut around the negative space (the hole that shape left) in a square, rectangle, or tag shape.
• Back that piece with colored cardstock or patterned paper and use the resulting embellishment (as well as your original die-cut) on your layout.

Some variations on this technique include using 3-D foam tape to pop up the negative piece, using the negative space as a journaling area, placing a photo under the cut-out instead of paper, or creating a border using multiple cut-out spaces backed with another color cardstock or patterned paper.

For my layout, I chose to do the basic technique, and then I also die-cut the rows of stars using my Cricut. Since I used the cut out pieces as well as the negative space, there was no waste, which is always a good thing!

Recipe:
Distressed Backgrounds, Tiny Typewrite & Alphabet Solos F stamp sets
Believe Level 2 papers
Sky, Outdoor Denim, Cashmere & Champagne cardstock
Holiday Red, Outdoor Denim & Cashmere ink
Cranberry Ribbon Rounds
Pattern: Sketches in Thyme #119
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: stars, title

July Sketch Winner!

Another month has gone by and I had the difficult task of choosing just one person to be the winner for the July sketch challenge. So, without further ado, the winner is (drum roll please) . . . Wendy, with her fabulous layout featuring pictures from Cumberland State Forest in Australia. I've been a long-time fan of Wendy, who has the ability to put seamlessly blend elements from different digital kits into beautiful, cohesive layouts. I've posted Wendy's layout below, but feel free to check out her inspiring online gallery at Splitcoast Stampers. Wendy, I would also like to invite you to be a guest designer for next month's sketch, so please contact me to get the details.

Thanks to all who participated this month! Don't forget to check out this month's sketch and post a link to your interpretation of it by August 31st for your chance to be featured.

EMS Sketch Challenge 47 - Good Eating

It's time for another sketch challenge! Who wants to play? You have the whole month to complete a layout based on the sketch and then post your layout online and link your post to this post. On the 5th of next month, I will post the "winner" of this month's sketch, and that layout will be featured on my blog, along with an opportunity for the winner to be a guest designer for the next sketch. Can't wait to see what all you creative people do with the sketch!

The sketch:

 

My layout:

Recipe:

Key to My Heart & Bohemian Alphabet stamp sets

For Always Level 2 papers

Saddle & White Daisy cardstock

Saddle & Black ink

Mocha Opaques

Challenges: 4 Crafty Girls Bling challenge

Please link your completed layout here by 8/31/13 at 11:59 pm PST!

Autumn & Winter Idea Book!

Close to My Heart's brand new Autumn / Winter idea book is now available for your shopping pleasure! Click on the link in the sidebar to check it out. There are lots of exciting new products, including the brand new Cricut Artbooking cartridge that is specifically designed with scrapbooking in mind. It includes 12" x 12" overlays for scrapbooking, mini book templates, and lots of other fun shapes as well as an alphabet you can incorporate into your artwork. The cartridge comes with three D-size stamp sets and three sheets of chipboard shapes. See page 59 of the idea book to order this exclusive cartridge.

Some other great new items to check out include:

• Hostess stamp sets that are only available as hostess rewards when you host a gathering of $150 or more (pages 6-9)!
• 6 new Stamp of the Month sets that can be puchased for $5 each when you place a $50 order (pages 11-16)!
• 6 My Reflections paper packs with coordinating My Stickease or Complements and embellishment assortments (pages 18-53)!
• 2 different pre-printed My Crush books to collect your memorabilia and photos, plus optional coordinating collections featuring My Stickease, alphabet stickers, envelopes, and journaling spots (pages 62-67)!
• Several clever new way to feature your artwork using home decor items (pages 71-73)!
• Base & Bling wearable craft projects (pages 74-77)!
• Don't forget all the exciting new stamp sets and the cool new embellishments!

Please contact me if you have any questions or need help placing an order.