Frozen Party Layout

My two youngest kids loved the movie Frozen, so they were delighted to be invited to a Frozen themed birthday party! My older two were not as excited, but who can resist the lure of candy and cake, right? I'm not a huge Frozen fan, but the party was amazing, so hopefully this layout conveys a little of the magic of the day. I used my monthly double sketch one last time, and now I'm going to retire it for a while, although I'm sure I will pull it out to use in the future.

And here's a close up of the glittery title. I downloaded the Ice Kingdom font, the closest match to the Frozen font I could find, and then used Cricut Design Studio to cut it out. I sponged Twilight and Crystal Blue ink on it and finished by adding Star Dust Stickles for a icy shine.

Recipe:
Wonderland papers
Crystal Blue & White Daisy cardstock
White Daisy textured cardstock
Crystal Blue & Twilight ink
Clear Sparkles
Star Dust Stickles (Ranger)
Mini Snowflake punch (EK Success)
Cricut Artistry cartridge: snowflakes
Cricut Design Studio: title using Ice Kingdom font
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge 78

Challenges: Heart 2 Heart All About Cricut challenge (used Artistry to cut out all the snowflakes except the tiny ones)

Let's Go Fly a Kite Layout

All month I've been meaning to play along with the cartoon inspired sketch from Scrap Our Stash, but I didn't have the right photos until today, when I pulled out some photos for my youngest son's school album. I've already scrapped the center photo once for an ABC album, but I wanted to go in a totally different direction, and the sketch and challenges I played along with offered some great inspiration. Here's my layout:

And here's the sketch challenge that inspired me. As you can see, I went with a green background with yellow highlights, but there are lots of other colors in the inspiration image so I used lots of colors in my layout. I added a book sticker to the journaling block, since my son's book buddies are the ones who took him kite flying.

Recipe:
Colorful papers (KI Memories)
Cranberry & Canary cardstock
Cranberry, Canary, Sweet Leaf & Sky ink
Black & red markers
Color Kaleidoscope Thickers & puffy stickers (American Crafts)
Escape the Ordinary Thickers (American Crafts)
School Days sticker (Boyds Bears & Friends)
My Crush Besties Assortment
White baker's twine
3-D foam tape
Cricut Artistry cartridge: kites
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: frame, spiral bound paper
Artiste cartridge: title
Challenges: Lasting Memories #465 Recipe - use 3 photos, 5 or more paper strips, and small word stickers

Hey There Peanut Layout

I host a daily inspiration challenge over on Scrapbook.com, and for September 13, since it was National Peanut Day, I asked the scrapbookers to either be inspired by one of Charles Schulz's Peanuts cartoons or to use a peanut image on their artwork. I was originally going to use the cartoon theme, but then I had the idea to use the word peanut in my title, springboarding off the alternate definition of a peanut as "a cute person, used as a nickname to show affection." Little Tristan was certainly a cute peanut in these photos!

Recipe:
Hodgepodge Alphabet, Life's a Jungle, Hello Friend & Trinity Alphabet stamp sets
Patterned paper (all scraps from my stash)
Slate, Whisper, Carolina, Desert Sand & White Daisy cardstock
Slate, Bluebird & Carolina ink
Coffee marker (Zig)
Heavenly Blue organdy ribbon
Escape the Ordinary Thickers (American Crafts)
3-D foam tape
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: tags, large hearts
Small heart punch (EK Success)
Pattern: Sketches in Thyme 389 (loved the idea of the paper strips so I stretched it out to a 2 pager)

Challenges: Double Trouble #38 Something Plaid: Thing 1 - added plaid paper strips + Thing 2 - played along with Use Your Stuff by using tags + Thing 3 - used three tags; Retro Rubber Challenge Blog #120 Anything Goes (Hodgepodge Alphabet - 2009, Life's a Jungle - 2009, Hello Friend - 2014 or earlier, Trinity Alphabet - 2011)

Just Wanna Have Fun Layout

My kids having fun at the park! I loved using these pretty autumn papers but didn't have enough of the floral piece to go all the way up and down the page, so I fussy cut four scraps from another piece to fill in the bottom.

Recipe:
World Traveler & Tiny Typewriter stamp set
Dreamin' papers
Linen, Pacifica,Cashmere cardstock
Pacifica, Cashmere, Goldrush & Chocolate ink
Brown marker (Zig)
Stargazer Dots
Chocolate embroidery floss
Chipboard letters (source unknown)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: tag
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge 33

Challenges: The Studio Challenge Blog Take 5 (use enamel dots/ shapes, chipboard alphas, the color orange, thread/ stitching, and stamps on your layout); Scrap With Stacy photo inspiration

1 Cool Cowboy Layout

For this layout of my son as an extremely cute cowboy, I pulled out my most recent sketch and used just the left hand page, substituting patterned paper for the circular photos on the sketch. I'm hosting some challenges over at Splitcoast Stampers this month, so this layout is my sample for the Cut Through the Clutter challenge. I asked everyone to create a layout using items that start with the letters in the word "Clutter." You can see my list below, and hopefully it inspires you to pop on over and play with us!

C - cowboy, chipboard
L - lasso, lettering
U - "U" rub-on
T - tag
T - Thicker
E - embossed metal badge buttons
R - revolver, rub-ons

Recipe:
Bingo Alphabet stamp set
Dakota papers
Black, Barn Red, Whisper & Desert Sand cardstock
Black & Barn Red ink
Milepost Shapes - arrow, tag
Embossed Metal Badge Buttons
Natural hemp
DE chipboard circle
Alphabet Transfers rub-ons (K & Company)
Color Kaleidoscope Thickers (American Crafts)
Liquid Glass
3-D foam tape
Cricut Southwest cartridge: cowboy boot, hat, horse, revolver
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge 78 (left side only)

EMS Sketch Challenge 78 - Summer Fun & Sun Layout

So now that Let's Scrap has stopped creating sketches, I am feeling a need for two page scrapbook sketches. I'm sure they're out there, but not sure where to find them. I decided to fill the void just a little by creating a two page sketch this month. It features 12 photos, but the top circles could easily be converted to cardstock or patterned paper. The 2.5" wide journaling space was sufficient for me, but you could also crop the horizontal photos to create a wider space if needed.

The sketch:

My layout:

Recipe:
Zoe papers
Canary, Lagoon, Smoothie & White Daisy cardstock
Carolina ink
Steel Grey marker (Zig)
Summer Daydreams cardstock stickers (Photo Play)
Field Notes Journaling Ephemera (American Crafts)
Smoothie baker's twine
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: Fun & Sun, Paradise
Challenges: Heart 2 Heart The Little Things (my little things are my kids and the joy they take in simple pleasures!); Use Your Stuff #375 - Tag and/or frames (I chose to go with a little tag on my journaling block, a perfect finishing touch)

Old Schoolhouse Layout

We visited Calico Ghost Town several years ago on our way to Las Vegas, and one of the cool buildings there was the schoolhouse, a replica of the original building that stood on this site. I grew up reading Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables, so visiting a one room schoolhouse was right up my alley!

Recipe:
Typeset papers & twill stickers
Kraft, Brown Bag, Juniper, Vineyard Berry, Bamboo & Colonial White cardstock
Black, Brown Bag, Juniper, Vineyard Berry & Bamboo ink
Black marker
Juniper brad
Twill ribbon
Chocolate baker's twine
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: title, pennants, scalloped border, postage stamp mat
Cricut Wall Decor & More cartridge: book, owl
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: apple
Pattern: Scrap Our Stash September 2019 Pick Your Side (I chose the left side)

Challenges: Paper Girls challenge  #184 Anything Goes (well, that was easy!)

Priceless Fall Memories Layout

I just love this sweet photo of my youngest as an Indian brave, so it was a treat to scrapbook it! After digging through my stash a little, I found some papers that were originally designed to showcase a 5" x 7" photo and a journaling block, but by getting creative I was able to adapt it to fit my two photos.

Recipe:
Priceless Love Word Puzzle, Year Round Cheer & Holiday Hoopla stamp sets
Magic Moments papers & stickers
Indian Corn Blue, Goldrush & Colonial White cardstock
Indian Corn Blue, Goldrush, Barn Red, Desert Sand, Sunflower & Black ink
Gold metallic marker
Sweet leaf grosgrain ribbon
Indian Corn Blue embroidery floss
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: tab
Challenges: Double Trouble #37 - Thing 1 Fall Theme (Fall title & holiday) + Thing 3 - sweet treat (pumpkin pie); Retro Rubber Challenge #119 - Fall Colors of red, brown, and orange - my stamps are the priceless word on the tab (2009), the turkey and Pilgrim hat (2010) , and the pumpkin pie (2012)

1 2 3 Treats 4 Me Layout

I'm participating in a scraplifting challenge this month at Scrapbook.com, and the hardest part is always to find the right layout to lift. Fortunately, my inspiration gal is very talented and prolific, so it wasn't hard to settle on one. My style is very different from hers, so I lifted the basic design but put my own far simpler spin on it. This is for my oldest son's school album, and I must say it was fun using pink, hearts, and flowers on a boy page!

Recipe:
Craft On papers
Lots of cardstock (all the hearts were pre-cut scraps, so not sure what colors they are)
Raspberry & Pixie ink
Black marker
Flamingo enamel dots
Color Kaleidoscope stickers (American Crafts)
DIY Shop cork arrow sticker (American Crafts)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: title, heart cut outs
Small heart punch (EK Success)
Pattern (scraplift of Cinderella4282's LO):

Challenges: Lasting Memories #463 Recipe #2 - 1 photo, 2 mats, 3 fussy cut pieces (mine are the flowers), create a wreath around your photo; Joy of Sets Tic-Tac-Toe #9 (I chose the top row for love, heart, numbers)

The Truth About Flat Stanley Layout

My daughter did a Flat Stanley Project in 2nd grade where she created a Flat Stanley and mailed it to my sister, who then took a bunch of pictures of Stanley doing all kinds of things, then she mailed it and a journal about their time together back to us. I saved Flat Stanley, the photos, and the journal, and was going to title this layout Flat Stanley, but then I opened up a new stamp set I had purchased and it had the conversation starter "The truth about . . " and that sparked a whole new idea for the layout. I wrote a whole bunch of "truths"' about Stanley based on the photos my sister sent, and added them to a pull out tag on the layout. Really fun to get creative that way, and I hope you enjoy the result!

And here's Stanley with the journaling tag:

Click on the photo for a close-up of the journaling!

Recipe:
Story FYI, Pennant Alphabet, Life's a Jungle, Picture Perfect, A Chocolate Affair, Purrrrific & Highlight Reel stamp sets
Inspirationals stamp set (SU)
Craft On papers
Toffee, Raspberry & White Daisy cardstock
Black, Cocoa & Toffee ink
Black marker
ShinHan Touch Twin markers
Raspberry baker's twine
White Daisy embroidery floss
Cricut Artist cartridge: "Flat"
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: tag
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge 10 (FYI: the large square on the right hand page made a great place for a memorabilia pocket! I layered mine with vellum over patterned paper to get two pockets, one for the journal and the tag, and one for Stanley.)

Challenges: Heart 2 Heart mixed fonts (my title fonts look similar but they're actually created using two stamp sets and a Cricut font)

Hey There Pumpkin Layout

This layout is pretty simple for the most part, but I decided that, to mirror my son's activity in the photos, I wanted an interactive component with the hoop being able to raise or lower over the pumpkin. After consulting numerous books that featured moving parts, plus consulting my civil engineer husband, I finally just attached a string to the hoop and threaded it through a series of eyelets, with the ends being tied off with large beads to prevent the string from slipping out of the eyelets. Sometimes the simple solution is best!

Recipe:
October Word Puzzle stamp set
Spellbound papers
Sunset, Black, Saffron & White Daisy cardstock
Sunset & Black ink
White gel pen (Sakura)
Black embroidery floss
Metal eyelets (Making Memories)
Cricut Artistry cartridge: pumpkin, title, monster
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: rings
3-D foam tape
Challenges: Double Trouble #37 - Thing 1 Fall Theme (I picked Halloween, a fall holiday) + Thing 2 - played along with The Paper Girls Falling in Love challenge + Thing 3 - sweet treat (candy corn- my favorite!)

EMS Sketch Challenge 77 - Persevere Layout

Time for another sketch, and here's a fun one that might help you use up some scraps you have lying around. I have several large "frames" from when I cut an oversize die-cut from the center of a 12" x 12" piece of cardstock, and I thought it would be nice to put one to use. You can adhere all your other pieces first, and then lay the die-cut frame over the top to cover any rough or mismatched edges. Have fun, make whatever changes you need, and as always, be sure to leave a link to your completed layout in the comments section below!

The sketch:

My layout:

FYI: I realized after I completed the journaling that it sounds like my son had an option to quit kindergarten! That was definitely not the case, but he did have a choice of his daily attitude, so the award was really intended to give him praise for persevering in having a good attitude despite a difficult adjustment.

Recipe:
Friendship Alphabet Small stamp set
Roxie papers
Black, Juniper & Colonial White cardstock
Black, Tulip & Bamboo ink
Black marker
Silver metallic marker
Black gingham ribbon
DE chipboard: Awards
Color Kaleidoscope Thickers (American Crafts)
3-D foam tape
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: frame, stars
Challenges: Lasting Memories #462 recipe - 1 banner, 2 photos, 3 or more chipboard elements, and glittery letters or embellishments (I went with the shiny banner and stars)

Walk on the Wild Side {Walk-a-Thon} Layout

I did my daughter's Walk-A-Thon pictures this week, so I thought I should give equal play to my son's album. The title was inspired by the photo of my son with his classmates before the walk started. Almost all of the kids are nicely focused on the camera, but not my boy; he's facing the other way, doing his Superman thing! Sometimes he frustrates me, so it was nice to have a moment where he just cracked me up.

Recipe:
Colorful Kit paper (KI Memories)
Raspberry, Pixie, Carolina, Sapphire, Sweet Leaf & Saffron ink
Raspberry, Pixie, Carolina, Sapphire, Sweet Leaf & Saffron cardstock
Outdoor Denim marker
#Life cards: Enjoy
Mind Your Manners cardstock stickers (Bella Blvd)
Escape the Ordinary & Color Kaleidoscope Thickers (American Crafts)
Cricut Artiste cartridge: title
Seagull, Clouds & Wavy decorative edge scissors (Fiskars)
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge 31

Challenges:Use Your Stuff back to school

AR Awards Layout

Our school district participates in a program called Accelerated Reader, and each child is required to earn a certain amount of points by reading books and passing quizzes in their AR level. At the end of the trimester, all children who made their AR goal get an award and attend a party. Brianna was so excited to make her goal in second grade, but it might have been more due to the party than to the awards ceremony - LOL! For the layout, I stamped a few images and then fussy cut them, and I used foam tape to pop up part of the award for extra dimension.

Recipe:
Blue Ribbon, Classmate Alphabet & Diverse Backgrounds stamp sets
Free to Be Me papers
White Daisy cardstock
Flaxen, Tulip, Glacier & Lagoon ink
Ocean marker
Aqua Dots
Red enamel gems
Bamboo metal arrow & brad
Cranberry baker's twine
3-D foam tape
Pattern: Rochelle Spears September 2019 sketch

Challenges: Heart 2 Heart use stamps (ribbon, word search alphabet, first class tab, title, ticket)

Off We Go Layout

For these pictures of my daughter Brianna's school walk-a-thon, I used a slightly malfunctioning spray pen to spritz the background cardstock. It came out more blotchy than I had hoped, but I covered up the worst spots and now know to use one of my other pens if I want a more even spray!

Recipe:
Stardust papers & stickers
Moonstruck, Honey, Bamboo & White Daisy cardstock
Moonstruck, Honey, Bamboo & Dutch Blue ink
Moonstruck marker
Cricut You Are Here cartridge: title, shoe
Cricut Thoughts and Phrases - the Little Things cartridge: hustle
Cricut Classic Font: squares border
Pattern: Sketches in Thyme  #387

Challenges: Bitten By the Bug Get Outside challenge