Owl Layout

I've been waiting a long time to scrap these photos (they were taken when my son was in 5th grade and he is now 20), but first I misplaced his owl report, and then I couldn't find where I put the photos his teacher had given me. Finally I found both at the same time, so I decided it was time to scrapbook this somewhat disgusting event. He did a whole report on owls that I wanted to include in the layout, so I created a vellum pocket and slipped the owl inside. most of the pocket is covered by papers and photos, but you can see a little bit of it on the left side of the layout.

Recipe:
Smarty Pants & Happiest place papers
Kraft, Canary, Black & White Daisy cardstock
Canary, Capri, Candy Apple ink
Mind Your Manner Fundamentals cardstock sticker (Bella Blvd)
Red buttons (from my stash, source unknown)
Sunkiss Yellow embroidery floss
Red enamel gems
DE Monograms chipboard O, W & L
3-D foam tape
Cuttlebug Swiss Dot Embossing Folder
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: journaling shape
Pattern: Rochelle Spears August 2022 sketch

Challenges: Let's Craft and Create #186 Feeling Distressed (I used an edge distresser on my black cardstock mat, plus I inked the edges of all my papers)

SBTS 2016 Layout

Every summer, Shakespeare by the Sea puts on two free Shakespeare plays in local parks, and we try to go to at least one play. This particular year we were able to attend both Othello and Cymbeline but, because our pictures for the second play were very grainy, I only scrapbooked Othello.

Recipe:
Smarty Pants & Build-a-Picnic stamp sets
May June 2022 Mix-In papers
Nectarine, Sage, Sapphire, Rosemary, Candy Apple & White Daisy cardstock
Nectarine, Rosemary & Black ink
ShinHan Touch Twin markers
Gold Metallix marker
Green Fineliner pen (iBayam)
VIP Rainbow acrylic shapes
White Acrylic Hearts
Seas the Day enamel dots
Cricut Artiste cartridge: title
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: overlay
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: banners
Pattern: Scrap Our Stash August 2022 Sketch Challenge (revised to add an extra picture)

Challenges: Color My Heart Color Dare #510 (used the left column with Sapphire + Rosemary + Nectarine and I threw in some Sage for the background, plus there are pops of  Gold, Shortbread and  Candy Apple in the picnic basket).

Granny's Mixer Thank You Card

My husband's grandmother recently gifted her old Kitchenaid mixer to my son and daughter to use in their various baking projects, so we wanted to send a thank you card to her. I found a cute mixer cut on Cricut Design Space that looks quite similar to the Kitchenaid classic mixer, so I used that plus some stamps and an embossing folder to create this card. The inside of the card says, "Whipping up a big batch of thanks!"

Recipe:
Geometric Backgrounds, Build-a-Picnic & It's Your Day stamp sets
Capri, Peacock, Saffron, Linen, Black & White Daisy cardstock
Capri, Peacock, Saffron & Black ink
Creme Brulee marker
ShinHan Touch Twin marker - Warm Grey
White gel pen (Sakura)
Swiss Dot embossing folder
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: banner
Cricut Home Appliances: mixer
Cricut Font & Basic Shapes: Thanks
Pattern: Atlantic Hearts Sketch #487

Challenges: Color Throwdown #707 (used Capri, Peacock and Saffron from CTMH plus neutrals of black, grey, and white.

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #176 (used the left column with Blue + Apple + Checks and also used embossing and yellow)

Relax! Layout

My cat Thor is able to stretch out and sleep in the weirdest places, so I thought it would be fun to create a layout showing a couple of his favorite spots to relax. I even got into the act in one of those photos, and I  must confess cuddling on my bed with my kitty and a good book on my Kindle seems like the definition of bliss to me!

Recipe:
Good Day Sunshine papers and stickers (Echo Park)
Juniper, Poppy, Outdoor Denim & White Daisy cardstock
Juniper, Poppy & Outdoor Denim ink
Maize grosgrain ribbon (Offray)
Black label tape (Dymo)
Cricut Artiste Cartridge: title
Pattern: EMS Sketch #24

Challenges: Double Trouble #118 Relaxation Celebration (Thing 1 = I'm not a beach person so my relax day is cuddling with my kitty who really knows how to relax! + Thing 2 = played along with Crafter's Cafe #288 Relaxation Day challenge + Thing 3 = included flower paper and stickers); Critter Crazy #65 Anything Goes with a featured animal

Father's Day 2016 Layout

I'm continuing my quest to create unique layouts using a single sketch, and this time I used only the left side of the sketch and I rotated it to the right. I also used squares in place of the solid strip, and a mix of three papers instead of the single 3" x 5" one specified in the sketch. My photo sizes were different as well, so I guess I got really creative on this one! But I still managed to include 3+ patterned papers, fussy cutting, something wet, and fibers so I could play along with Kathy's 5 for 5 challenge at Scrapbook.com. 

And for those who haven't been following along, here's the sketch I'm using:

Recipe:
Stacy's Hand Alphabet & It's Your Day stamp sets
Fish Tales papers & stickers (Photoplay)
Kraft, Crystal Blue, White Daisy & Black cardstock

Cranberry, Crystal Blue & Honey ink

Best Day Ever Assortment stickers
Cranberry grosgrain ribbon
Transparent Gloss texture paste (Ranger)
Scalloped scissors (CM)
Tim Holtz Dot Fade stencil (Stampers Anonymous)
Cricut Artiste cartridge: banner
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: tag
Challenges: Lasting Memories #611 - 3 Things - Geometric/icon patterned paper (waves and scallops) + circles + stickers 

Angel's Party Layout

It seems strange to think of this happy occasion as a tough time, but it was in the early stages of fostering our two youngest children, and that made for an awkward and uncomfortable afternoon with a bunch of people we barely knew. I still remember the frustration of being outside the circle of family that Brianna and Angel shared, as represented by the group picture where I am standing at the far edge and slightly apart from the group. I decided to scrap the photos as a 6"x8" back-to-back layout that will fit between the photos we took at Chuck E. Cheese before the birth family arrived several hours late.

The front layout is a more traditional and happy layout with my son blowing out the candles on the cake, while the flip side has a picture with shadows across it and some clouds over the sun. When you flip the center section up, it reveals the group picture and my journaling. I tried not to get into the whole story in my album, because I don't want to make my kids sad if they read about my feelings on that day, but I'm pretty sure they will never bother to read my blog, so I feel safe posting it here! I also used the "negative" of a sun that I found in my scrap box, and the background grey is darker on the back of the layout to go with my mood.

The front

The reverse with the flap closed

The reverse with the flap lifted up - adult faces are blurred for privacy reasons.

The journaling card on the back of the lifted up section

Recipe:
Friendship Word Puzzle, It's Your Day, Story FYI & Boutique Borders stamp sets
Stargazer papers
Pebble, Canary & White Daisy cardstock
Canary, Poppy, Pacifica, Sapphire & Pewter ink
Light Greg Fineliner pen (iBayam)
ShinHan Touch Twin markers
Stargazer enamel dots
Beautiful Friendship Complements banners
Sapphire baker's twine
Star punch (EK Success)
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: sun
Cricut Artiste cartridge: clouds
Pattern (first page): Sketch-n-Scrap #254 rotated right and adapted for 6" x 8" layout

Challenges: Lasting Memories #612 - 3 Things - striped patterned paper + stars + enamel dots; Challenge YOUrself #104 Tough Times 

Update: I was one of the top three participants in the Tough Times challenge!

Winter Blast 2015 Layout

After taking a break to create a card for my mother-in-law, I'm back at work finishing up my  layouts for the Scrapbook.com 5 for 5 challenge. I used both pages of the sketch, but this time I cut two smaller pieces of patterned paper for each side of the layout and tilted them to give a different look. 

Recipe:
February Word Puzzle, Pen Pal Alphabet & Cassidy Alphabet stamp sets
Jingle All the Way papers (Simple Stories)
Kraft, Sage & Colonial White cardstock
Sage, Ruby & Black ink
Black marker
Jingle All the Way Puffy stickers, journal bits & decorative brads (Simple Stories)
DE Chipboard - Framed Fun & Banners
Ruby baker's twine
Ruby washi tape
Colonial White Bigger Brads
Gold Stickles (Ranger)
3-D foam tape
Pattern: EMS Sketch 100

Challenges: Lasting Memories #610 Three Things - floral patterned paper, hearts & washi tape; Crafting Happiness #127 Little Things (so many in this layout - cocoa, games, Christmas presents, bounce house, and above all, seeing my kids having fun!)

Craft On Birthday Card

Yesterday my hubby asked me to make a birthday card for his mom, so I pulled up some sketches and challenges and got to work. I've been thinking about playing along with Double Trouble's Gimme S'more challenge to create a fancy fold card using lots of layers and "stuff," so I did some research and found out how to make a bridge fold card. I love that you get all the dimension yet it folds flat for mailing! I added a pocket for the tag, which pulls out so my hubby can write a nice note to his mom.

Here's a little detail showing the shimmer on the butterfly and punched flowers!

Recipe:
Joyful Birthday stamp set
Craft On papers
Raspberry, Pixie, Carolina, Pansy, Canary, Clover Meadow & White Daisy cardstock
Raspberry, Pixie, Carolina, Bluebird, Canary & Clover Meadow ink
Shimmer Brush
Blush ribbon
Flamingo enamel dot
Purple Glitter Gem
Rounded flower punch (Emaginations)
Flower punch (EK Success)
Cricut Artistry cartridge: butterfly
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: tag
Pattern: Atlantic Hearts #485 (I added the strip across the middle of the card to make it a bridge fold)

Challenges: Creative Creases #38 Anything Goes with a Fun Fold; Just Us Girls #644 

Tic Tac Toe Challenges #173 (used the right hand column with sparkle + ribbon + flowers, and it's a birthday card!)

Blue Grizzlies Layout

When I create soccer layouts for my daughter, they tend towards the cute side of the scrapping spectrum, but since her team in 2016 was the Blue Grizzles, I instead went with a more gritty look with lots of distressing and a realistic bear die-cut. I'm still working on my layouts for the 5 for 5 Challenge over on Scrapbook.com, so I used the same sketch but rotated it 180 degrees. For the other requirements of the challenge, I fussy cut the title and soccer cleat, used three patterned papers, stamped the stencil in Chocolate and then layered texture paste over it for a shiny look (something wet), and added three types of fibers.

And here's the sketch again.

Recipe:

Play Hard - Soccer, Extreme Caps & Buddies - Joey stamp sets
Yesterday & Today papers

Grass paper from my stash (source unknown)
Carolina, Chocolate, Toffee & Colonial White cardstock
Carolina, Chocolate, Toffee, Indian Corn Blue & Black ink
Pure Brown marker (Zig)
Hopscotch PML card
Adornaments Fibers Blue & Vegetation (EK Success)
Transparent Gloss texture Paste (Ranger)
3-D foam tape
Tim Holtz Burlap stencil (Stampers Anonymous)
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: frames
Cricut Noah's ABC Animals cartridge: bear
Cricut Artistry cartridge: "goal" shape
Challenges: 2 Crafty Critter Crazies #65 Anything Goes with animal focus; Let's Craft and Create #186 Anything Goes with optional distressing; Inspiration Station #35 Animal Kingdom

On the Slopes Layout

Although I've been working on summer photos lately, I had some winter sports photos that I wasn't inspired to scrap until this week, when I started playing along with Kathy's 5 for 5 challenge over at Scrapbook.com. She asked us to create five layouts using the same sketch and include 3 or more patterned papers, fussy cutting, something wet, and fiber on each layout. This is only layout two, but I'm enjoying figuring out how to make each layout look unique even though the underlying design is the same. Here's today's layout:

For my something wet, I added Stickles to the white snowflakes, skis, and snowboard, and I stamped and cut out three pieces of faux washi tape (arrows, diamonds, and numbers) for the fussy cutting category.

Here's the sketch I used:

Recipe:
Washi Wonder stamp set
Snowhaven papers
Glacier, Cranberry, Black & White Daisy cardstock
Black marker
Vellum
Glacier, Cranberry & Black ink
Cranberry baker's twine
Star Dust Stickles (Ranger)
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: snowflakes
Cricut You Are Here cartridge: title, skis, snowboard
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: tag
Challenges: Scrap With Stacy August 2022 Tic Tac Toe (used the top row across with tag + baker's twine + numbers)

Family Fun & Sun Layout

Kathy over at Scrapbook.com posted a fun challenge this month that requires the use of a single sketch of your choice to create five layouts. She also asked us to add 3 or more patterned papers, fussy cutting, something wet, and fiber to our layouts. I decided to use a double page sketch, even though a couple of my layouts only require a single page, so here is my first layout.

And here's the sketch I chose (left side only):

Recipe:
A Typeface & Surf's Up stamp sets
Surf's Up papers
Surf's Up Gold, Surf's Up Teal, Crystal Blue, Sorbet & White Daisy cardstock
Ocean & Toffee ink
White Daisy Bigger Brads
Lagoon baker's twine
White acrylic hearts
Beach Party PML card
Liquid Glass
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: banner
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: fun & sun, sun
Challenges: Use Your Stuff #453 Sunshine; Heart 2 Heart technique challenge - Stamping (stamped and embossed the word family using alphabet stamps + stamped and fussy cut the direction sign and the wave).