Sweet Memories {Christmas Eve 2017} Layout

I've been cranking out layout this week in hopes of making my yearly goal of 100 layouts! I'm very close, only one to go, so wish me luck as I scrap in the New Year. Here is another layout I completed today; I am finding it easier to scrap all these Christmas layouts because they are all using the same theme, so I was able to just pull out all my Christmas papers and embellishments and get to work without reinventing the wheel for each new theme. This layout is Christmas Eve 2017, so I also hope to finish scrapping that year and start the New Year with 2018 photos. Hopefully . . . .

Recipe:
Very Merry Christmas stamp set
Evensong papers
New England Ivy, Cranberry & Sorbet cardstock
New England Ivy & Cranberry ink
Black marker
DE Mixed Shapes chipboard
White embroidery floss
Xmas Red Stickles (Ranger)
Ho Ho Ho puffy stickers (American Crafts)
Jingle Joy PML cards
Merry Little Christmas Ephemera - Words (Bella Blvd)
Forest Green grosgrain ribbon
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #113

Top Golf Layout

I started this layout three weeks ago and just couldn't figure out how to finish it once I got  the photos and patterned papers on it, so I put it aside until today. Coming back to it, I added a title and some puffy hearts, plus stamped some phrases on the talk bubbles, and now I am much happier with it!

Recipe:
Captured Happiness & Friendship Word Puzzle stamp sets
Summer Celebration B&T papers
Black & White Daisy cardstock
Topiary, Dutch Blue, Ocean & Watermelon ink
Black marker
Hopscotch PML card
Bubblegum Hearts & Blue Jean Hearts Puffy Shapes (Doodlebug Designs)
Falling for You Shape Sprinkles (Doodlebug Designs)
Cricut Design Space: title using Mochiy Pop One
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #68

Challenges: Heart's Quest Challenge Blog #69 Anything Goes with multicolored hearts

Tower of London Wall Walk Layout

Since it's been over 7 years since my hubby and I visited the Tower of London, I had to do a lot of research to figure out what some of the locations were that we photographed on the Wall Walk, a self-guided tour of the battlements of the Tower. I think I got them all correct, but please feel free to leave a comment if I messed any up! Anyway, I originally laid out my photos from left to right in the order that we snapped them, but eventually decided to scrap them  as if we were re-enacting our walk around the walls. This means we entered at Lanthorn Tower at the southern boundary of the Tower (bottom right on the layout) and started our tour at Salt Tower (#1 and #2 on my layout), and then moved around the eastern wall (#3 - #4) before exiting at Martin Tower (#5 and #6). The final photos (#7 and #8) were taken as we exited and made our way over to where the Crown Jewels are housed. Clear as mud? I included a scanned map with a big red arrow at the bottom where we entered and another arrow at the top where we exited. No one else may care, but it will at least help me remember in future times!

And here's the map:

Recipe:
Vintage Type stamp set
Grandpa's Attic papers (SEI)
Mink cardstock
Barn Red ink
Black marker
Let's Wander Thickers (American Crafts)
Black label tape (Dymo)
DIY Shop Cork arrow stickers (American Crafts)

Bloody Tower Layout

I decided to switch gears from Christmas layouts and work on finishing scrapping the photos from a 2017 visit to the Tower of London, so here is the facing page to the ravens layout I posted earlier. The vertical photo will lift up to show off another photo and my journaling, but I am not quite finished with the journaling, so here is a link to the history of the Bloody Tower for those who are interested in how it got its name.

Recipe:
For Always papers
Black, Cranberry, Rosemary & White Daisy cardstock
Black ink
Silver photo hanger
Charmalong key (Bead Landing)
Vintage washi tape (Emmoolife)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: title, tear drops, scalloped border
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #114 (right side only)

Legendary Birds Layout for Lasting Memories #731

It's not quite 2025, but over at Lasting Memories, we're getting a jump start on our challenges for the new year! This month, I am hosting challenges centered around the idea of deliberate designs, or focusing on an area of your layout. Today's challenge is to use a sketch for the basic design of your layout. I love creating sketches, so I decided to use my most recent one but adapt it for a different topic than I had scrapped last week. I know a lot of you scrappers like to use sketches, so feel free to join us to show off your sketch-based layout using the link above!

Here's my layout:

And here's the sketch I used:

Recipe:
For Always papers
Black, Rosemary & White Daisy cardstock
Black & Whisper ink
Black marker
Black hemp
Vintage washi tape (Emmoolife)

Black enamel sparkle dots (Eyelet Outlet)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: tag
Cricut Design Space: title using Chloe & Copperplate fonts

Challenges: My Time to Craft #550 - New (I chose to use a new set of vintage washi tape my sweet son gave me for Christmas - totally not my style, but I really appreciated the thought so I will strive to use them as often as possible!)

Oh What Fun It Is to Volunteer Layout

Just finishing up scrapping my Winter Blast photos with a final layout paying tribute to our amazing volunteers.

Recipe:
Tiny Typewriter Alphabet stamp set
Jingle All the Way Coal Plaid/Check paper (Simple Stories)
Have a Holly Jolly Christmas Jolly Snowflakes paper (Echo Park)
Kraft, Sage, Cranberry & White Daisy cardstock
Sage, Cranberry & Black ink
Black marker
Jingle All the Way Decorative Brads & Chipboard stickers (Simple Stories)
The Holiday Life Journal Bits (Simple Stories)
Cricut Artbooking: tickets

Christmas Cheer Layout

Here's a follow-up layout to the one I posted yesterday, featuring photos from a winter 2017 church event for kids. Love seeing the happy faces of the kids as they got to choose a gift!

Recipe:
Sparkle & Shine papers
Juniper, Ruby & White Daisy cardstock
Ruby & Slate ink
Black marker
Sparkle & Shine My Complements chipboard
Ruby baker's twine
Ruby canvas badge buttons
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: photo corners
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #66

Winter Blast at SVCC Layout

I was working on a layout for a fun event held at my church in 2017, but the layout was looking kind of blah, so I decided to challenge myself to add some stuff to it using the following phrase: Christmas Love. I had to add an item for each letter in the phrase, and it wasn't easy, but I managed to raid my stash and come up with some great options. Sometimes when there isn't a challenge out there to give me inspiration, I have to create my own challenge! Has anyone ever done that, or is it just me? LOL!

Here is my list:

C – church die-cut
H – handwritten journaling & hearts
R – rub-ons
I – ink
S – Stuck On You Puffies
T – torn cardstock
M – matted photo
A – alphabet stamps
S – striped patterned paper
L – label & lights
O – organdy ribbon
V – vellum
E – embossing

And my layout:

Recipe:

Holiday Village stamp set and Thin Cuts die
Simple Type Alphabet stamp set (SU)
Jingle papers
Tulip, Juniper, Creme Brulee & White Daisy cardstock
Vellum
Tulip, Juniper, Creme Brulee, Cotton Candy & Whisper ink
Black pigment ink
Black marker
ShinHan Touch Twin markers
Watercolor pencils (Prismacolor)
Clear embossing powder
Jingle Joy PML pocket card
Stuck on You Puffies stickers
The Holiday Life Journal Bits (Simple Stories)
Winter Wonderland rub-ons (Frances Meyer)
Black organdy ribbon (from my stash, source unknown)
Juniper brads

Pattern: Sidebar - Main Frame from Jeanette Lynton's book Reflections

Challenges: The Outlawz Anything Goes in a Card Free Zone with optional twist of light up the holidays (used a pocket card with Christmas lights on it)

EMS Sketch Challenge #116 + Family Fun Night Layout

Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope you all are having a blessed time with family or friends. My Christmas gift to all my scrappy pals is a brand new sketch. As usual, it features multiple photos, but if you only have a couple of photos, you could replace one or two with fun pocket cards or embellishments.  Enjoy, and be sure to post a link in the comments if you are able to use the sketch.

Here's the sketch:

And here's my layout:

Recipe:
You & Me stamp set
Jingle papers
Juniper, Kraft, Tulip & White Daisy cardstock
Juniper, Tulip, Olive & Creme Brulee ink
Brown fineliner pen (iBayam)
Merry Little Christmas Ephemera - Words (Bella Blvd)
Red pearls
Challenges: Crafter's Cafe #314 Anything Goes; Scrap With Stacy Tic Tac Toe December 2024 (I used the top row with Tag + Ticket + Pre-made title)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Layout

Family photos can be a bit of a challenge at any time, but Christmas ones always seem to feature at least one person blinking or moving their head or hand at the wrong time, or even refusing to smile at all! Fortunately, thanks to the magic of photo editing, I managed a near perfect photo in 2017. The only thing that kinda cracks me up is my eldest son clutching his youngest brother's shoulders tightly in order to keep him still. Oliver was a bit of a live wire, that's for sure! For this layout, I just purchased a Simple Stories Christmas collection and enjoyed using brand new papers and embellishments as an early Christmas gift to myself.

Recipe:
The Holiday Life Christmas Collection (Simple Stories)
Woodgrain paper
Garden Green, Black & White Daisy cardstock
Garden Green, Cashmere & Black ink
Black marker
Natural hemp
Pattern: Sketch-n-Scrap #311

Challenges: Challenge YOUrself #132 Anything Goes including myself in the photo; Heart's Quest Challenge Blog #68 Red or green hearts; The Outlawz Anything Goes in a Care Free Zone

Christmas Tea 2017 Layout

My friend Diane is a fabulous baker and hostess, so the ladies from our church were so blessed to have her host a Christmas tea at her house. 

Here's a little detail of the ornaments I created using chipboard circles, ribbon, and gold wire. I added some shine using a shimmer brush and then put a little gold Stickles on them so they are really shiny IRL!

Recipe:
Mistletoe papers
Black, New England Ivy, Garden Green & Colonial White cardstock
Cranberry, Garden Green & New England Ivy ink
Green fineliner pen (iBayam)
Cranberry & New England Ivy embroidery floss
Green/gold ribbon (Michaels)
Black enamel dot
Merry Little Christmas Ephemera (Bella Blvd)
Loving This puffy Thickers (American Crafts)
Gingerbread stickers (from my stash, source unknown)
Buy the Dozen gold wire (Artistic Wire Ltd.)
Clear Shimmer brush
Gold Stickles
Liquid Glass
Scalloped border punch (Fiskars)
Cricut Design Space: title using Chloe font
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #94

Challenges: Colorful Options - Red Green & Gold; Inspiration Station #68 (I was inspired by the gingerbread man and the stripes on the candy cane, plus the idea of holiday drinks since I was scrapping about a Christmas tea)

Slide & Ride Layout

My last layout was photo heavy, so I decided to just scrap two photos for this layout, and the rest are in a pocket page. There were no cows or roosters at this event, but I wanted to use the horse stamp so I had to add the others to keep the layout balanced!

Recipe:
From the Funny Farm stamp
Jingle All the Way papers (Simple Stories
Black, Ruby & White Daisy cardstock
Black ink
White gel pen (Sakura)
Gold Metallics marker
ShinHan Touch Twin markers
Black glitter enamel dots (Eyelet Outlet)
Circle Double Stitched steel dies (Art Impressions)
Cricut Artiste cartridge: title
Pattern: Sketch-n-Scrap #310

Challenges: Farm Quest Challenge Blog #66 Things Found in Barns; Park Hopping My Happy Place - I was inspired by the carousel ponies at Legoland

San Dimas Parade Layout

I had a bunch of photos from a Christmas parade my kids attended, so instead of using a sketch, I decided to crop them to odd sizes and fit them together like a puzzle. Haven't done this for a while, but it was fun to play with!

Recipe:
Snowhaven paper
Brown Bag, Candy Apple, Evergreen, Carolina, Sapphire & White Daisy cardstock
Whisper & Black ink
Black & Goldrush markers
Prussian Blue fineliner pen (iBayam)
Silver & White gel pens (Sakura)
ShinHan Touch Twin markers
Classic Snowflakes stickers (EK Success)
Black label tape (Dymo)
Black stripe grosgrain ribbon
Xmas Red & Stardust Stickles (Ranger)
Cricut Speaking of Winter cartridge: title
Challenges: Cut It Up #319 use more than one die-cut (my title used lots of die cuts); Time Out Challenges #278 photo inspiration (inspired to do a creative title)

Winter Memories Layout

I had some random photos from November and December 2017 that didn't really go with anything else yet I wanted to scrap them, so I combined them onto a layout of winter memories. Problem solved!

Recipe:
Holiday Magic stamp set
Sparkle & Shine papers
Bah Humbug papers (Moxxie)
Clover Meadow & Black cardstock
Clover Meadow & Black ink
White gel pen (Sakura)
Jolly Elements stickers (Creative imaginations)
Red enamel hearts
Red gingham ribbon
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #109 (turned upside down)

Challenges: Heart's Quest Challenges #68 Anything Goes with a red or green heart (my red enamel hearts didn't scan well, but they are there!)

Making Tracks Layout

Life has been quite busy, and I was stuck with a layout on my desk that just wasn't working for me, so I finally put it aside and worked on this one instead. It came together pretty quickly, and I love the good memories it evokes!

Recipe:

One Wish papers (Sweetwater)

Whippersnapper papers (Rusty Pickle)

Almond & Black cardstock

Tulip & Topiary ink

Black marker

White gel pen (Sakura)

Jingle All the Way puffy stickers (Simple Stories)

Antique Bronze brads

Cricut Simply Sweet cartridge: title

Pattern: Splitcoast Stampers Sketch15May1

Challenges: The Outlawz Anything Goes in a Card Free Zone with optional twist: Light Up the Holidays (added some Christmas lights puffy stickers)

6 Flags Layout

I used an old sketch and papers to scrap my family's 2017 visit to Six Flags Over Texas during our Texas vacation. We had a blast!

Recipe:
Hero Alphabet stamp set
Zippidee papers & Stickers
White Daisy cardstock
Pastel Vellum (Paper Pizzazz)
Outdoor Denim, Cranberry, Honey & Desert Sand ink
Cobalt Blue fineliner pen (iBayam)
Say Cheese Adventures at the Park washi tape (Simple Stories)
Epoxy stars - Primary (Bella Blvd)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: flags
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #51

Challenges: Park Hopping My Happy Place - inspired by Six Flags Over Texas; My Time to Craft #548 Anything But a Card

The Perfect Tree Layout for Lasting Memories #730

It's time for the final challenge of 2024 over at Lasting Memories, and it gave me a chance to look back over the year and pick out a LM challenge that I didn't complete because I ran out of time. There were a couple of challenges I could have selected, but I settled on LM #717, a color inspiration board. The colors are great for a non-traditional Christmas layout, and they went really well with my photos, so it seemed a perfect match. I pulled out one of the sketches I created for Splitcoast Stampers and an old KI Memories Christmas paper pack to complete this layout. Now it's your turn! If you have a favorite Lasting Memories challenge you want to play along with again, or maybe you missed the deadline for another challenge, please join us this month by clicking the link above.

Here's my layout:

And here's the color challenge that inspired me:

Recipe:

Triangle Trees, Atomic Caps & Atomic Lowercase stamp sets

Traditional Christmas papers & stickers (KI Memories)

Pixie, Sweet Leaf, Topiary & Black ink

Black marker

Everyday Moments pocket card (Scrapbook.com)

Woodgrain washi tape

Christmas Red Stickles (Ranger)

Sparkles

Cricut Artbooking cartridge: arrows

Cricut Artiste cartridge: bent arrows 

Pattern: Splitcoast Stampers Sketch17Mar

Challenges: Cut It Up #318 Sparkle and Shine - used Stickles and sparkles; Festive Friday #173 - used red, green, glimmer, trees & ornaments