Tenaya Lake 2012 Layout

Every time we go to Yosemite, we try to spend a day at Tenaya Lake. It's beautiful, and the water tends to be a little warmer than in the Merced River (at least in our experience). I used a sketch from Stick It Down to scrapbook the pictures of our time there in 2012. To be honest, I adapted the sketch quite a bit, but I think you can see how I retained the grid pattern on the left page and a more free form look on the right with the title and a circle. I mixed a few discontinued products from CTMH with the new items I just received, and I even made myself go with the background color of the trees for my title and accents rather than the more obvious blue, but I like how it turned out. Hopefully you all do as well!

Recipe:
This Way 2 Paradise & Build-a-Picnic stamp sets
Kraft, Ponderosa Pine, Chocolate, Honey, Cashmere & Colonial White cardstock
Ponderosa Pine, Chocolate & Honey ink
Snapshot Complements
Cricut Artiste cartridge: parentheses, sun
Cricut Simply Sweet cartridge: title
Cricut You Are Here cartridge: oars
Pattern: Stick It Down July double page sketch
Challenges: Bitten by the Bug Hit the Beach or Lake; Heart 2 Heart anything goes

Explore Olmstead Point Layout

I've been working on London vacation pictures for a long time now, but I thought I'd pause and switch over to some photos taken at Yosemite in 2012. As many of you know, the Ferguson Fire is currently burning west of Yosemite, causing quite a deterioration in air quality at the Park. I speak from personal experience, as my family just returned from a very smokey week in the valley, and I still am struggling with a hacking cough. The National Park Service decided to temporarily close the valley starting Wednesday, but the rest of the park is still open. For those who have never been, the Tuolumne Meadows area is quite beautiful, and as of last week, the air quality was decidedly better than in the valley. Since these pictures were taken at a location on the road between Crane Flats and Tuolumne Meadows, I thought I'd post this layout as a tribute to the Park and the 3,400 firefighters protecting it.

I played along with a fun "This or That" challenge from The Studio Challenges. They posted a list and asked us to choose one from each column. I wasn't able to incorporate all the lines, but I did my best! Here are the ones I managed:

polka dots or stripes

sequins or enamel dots

heart or star

stencil or stamps

stencil or embossing

twine or ribbon

blue or pink

boys or girls

Recipe:

Pack Your Bags & Travelogue stamp sets

Central Park & Fresh Air papers

Glacier, Pacifica & Grey Wool cardstock

Pacifica, Whisper & Grey Wool ink

Steel Grey marker (Zig)

Blue enamel dots

Grey Wool baker's twine

3-D foam tape

CTMH Stripe embossing folder

Cricut You Are Here cartridge: let's go, mountains, teardrop

Pattern: Sketches in Thyme #334

Challenges: Heart 2 Heart fresh air fun challenge

The Great Wisteria Layout

After a week of vacation preparation and a week of vacation, I'm finally back in my scraproom. Some lovely photos of the Great Wisteria at Hampton Court have been lying on my desk for over two weeks, so I knew it was time to get them scrapped. I started with a sketch from Sketch-n-Scrap, but omitted the title since one of the pictures is a sign board giving the title and description of what the pictures are. I seldom skip a title, but this seemed like one of the times it would be overkill. For some reason, the ink on the butterfly and flower turned blueish when I scanned it; IRL, it actually matches the lavender on the background paper.

Recipe:
Cocoa Cafe Level 2 papers
Cocoa & White Daisy cardstock
Cocoa, Amethyst & Ocean ink
Lavender ShinHan Touch Twin marker
Spring Harmony Sassy Strands (Amethyst)
Spring Harmony organdy ribbon (Amethyst)
Just Blooms Big Pinks paper flower
Canvas Badge Button
DE Framed Fun & Hearts chipboard
Miracle Irrestisibles chipboard
Challenges: Splitcoast Stampers Stashbusters (chipboard, ribbon, crimper, kit over 6 months old); The Studio Challenges big shape (mine is the extra-large flower)

The Pond Gardens Layout

Still scrapbooking the gardens at Hampton Court Palace. I've been experimenting with my new Cricut Explore Air 2 and Design Space, and was able to weld a title together thanks to assistance from my SCS friend Joyce Ann! It came out smaller than I expected even though I measured ahead of time, but I love the font and am going to continue to work on doing fancier things as I go along.

Recipe:
Spot on Backgrounds, Journaling Jots & Canvas Art Workshop stamp sets
Bella Level 2 papers
Creme Brulee, Smokey Plum & Colonial White cardstock
Creme Brulee, Smokey Plum, Hollyhock & Olive ink
Smokey Plum marker
Jolee's Boutique Pansies stickers
Colonial White ric-rac
3-D foam tape
Cricut EA2 cut: title using Babette font
Pattern: Splitcoast Stampers Sketch16Aug3

Ready. Set. Grow! Layout

Several years ago, I used to host the Variety Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers, and I recently thought it would be fun to bring it back, so here's my first re-started challenge: combine ink and embossing folders for a really cool look! You can get directions on how to do it here. I inked up the Wicker Weave embossing folder and used it to ink emboss two 1.5" x 6" strips of white cardstock, which I cut into squares and used to decorate my layout. Feel free to join us on Splitcoast Stampers for this fun challenge!

I didn't have any images of grapes or oranges in my stamp or sticker collections, so I added
vine and branch die-cuts that were the closest thing I could find.

Recipe:
Desert Sand, Autumn Terracotta, Cocoa, Topiary & Colonial White cardstock
Autumn Terracotta & Cocoa ink
Pure Brown marker (Zig)
Golden Yellow ShinHan Touch Twin marker
Autumn Terracotta button nail heads
Cocoa brad
Cuttlebug Wicker Weave embossing folder
Flower punch (EK Success)
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: vine, "Ready. Set."
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: branch, "Grow!"
Challenges: Bimini Moose scrapbook layouts

The Space Between Layout

Still scrapping Hampton Court gardens! Although we looked on the maps, we couldn't find a name for this grassy spot between the Privy Garden, the Banqueting House, and the Pond Gardens. Because that's what we do, we stopped and took a few pictures, even managing to artfully frame a couple, and moved on.

Recipe:
Passages & Grace Level 2 papers
Cocoa, Brown Bag & Garden Green cardstock
Cocoa, Brown Bag & Desert Sand ink
Clear craft button
Liquid Glass
Natural hemp
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: banner, hearts
The title was cut on my new Cricut Explore Air 2 using a true type font, but I can't remember which one!
Pattern: Rochelle Spears July sketch

Privy Garden Layout

The Privy Garden at Hampton Court Palace was a marvel of meticulous planning! A restoration effort in the 1990s brought it back to something approaching its former state, so I consider myself fortunate to be able to see it now instead of prior to restoration.

And here are the photos and journaling cards for the accompanying pocket page:

The plates-bandes borders

Looking towards the river with Queen Anne's Bower on the promenade to the right.
The swirly paths are the parterres a l'Angloise.

Entrance to Queen Anne's Bower

Jean Tijou screen with the English rose on it.

Screen with the Knights of the Garter motto on it.

Recipe:
Delicate Wings, Glamour Uppercase & Lowercase Alphabet stamp sets
Itty Bitty Backgrounds stamp set (SU)
Dotty for You & Chantilly Level 2 papers
Kraft, Sweet Leaf & Colonial White cardstock
Desert Sand, Sweet Leaf, Lagoon & Buttercup ink
Tuxedo Black dye ink (Tsukineko)
ShinHan Touch Twin markers
Kraft Color-Ready borders
Pearl Opaques
Cricut Artistry Cartridge: frames
Scalloped circle punch
Pattern: Sketch-n-Scrap #156 (I turned it on its side and moved a few elements around, but hopefully you can still see the bones of the sketch!)

If It Ain't Baroque . . . Layout

The title for this layout is a play on words based on the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." William III and Mary II evidently decided to ignore this advice when they planned to demolish Henry VIII's Tudor style palace at Hampton Court and replace it with a Baroque palace inspired by Versailles. Lucky for us history lovers, they ran out of money and had to settle for adding two Baroque-style wings and only tearing down Henry's state rooms and private apartments. As with most of my Hampton Court layouts, I took way too many pictures to scrapbook, so I added some extra ones to a pocket page.

Here's my hidden journaling card, front and back:

And here are the pictures for the pocket page:

The building material is pink brick and pale Portland stone.

View of the Privy Garden from the South Front

Looking across the Privy Garden towards the South Front

Recipe:
Baroque Borders, Vogue Alphabet, Friendship Alphabet Small & Key to My Heart stamp sets
Back Country level 2 papers
Kraft & White Daisy cardstock
Barn Red, Autumn Terracotta & Desert Sand ink
Barn Red marker
Autumn Terracotta brads
3-D foam tape
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: title block
Pattern: SCS Sketch17Apr