Live, Laugh, Love Layout

Many of you know that my kids all joined our family by adoption, so we have lots of extended family in the form of their birth families. For example, these fun photos of my kids hanging out at the splash pad also feature my eldest's son birth siblings and my youngest two kids' cousin. I am so grateful that we are able to do life with them, an unexpected blessing of adoption, despite the messiness and heartache the process causes.

I used some hidden journaling; the banners lift up and it's written on the back.

Recipe:

Sweet Safari & Something Fierce papers
Oh, Happy Day papers (Simple Stories)
Canary, Glacier & Bluebird cardstock
Canary, Nectarine, Raspberry, Glacier, Juniper & Bluebird ink
Peacock Blue fineliner pen (iBayam)
Black marker
Mod Title Great Lengths & circle stickers (CM)
Bubblegum Hearts Puffy Shapes (Doodlebug Designs)
Love Charm (Making Memories)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: scalloped borders, banners
Pattern: Stick It Down June Double Page Sketch from Facebook (I had different sized photo and more of them, so I adapted the sketch a little)

Challenges: The Outlawz Anything Goes in a Card Free Zone (I finally managed to do the optional theme You Can Quote Me);  Heart's Quest Challenge #56 (Part A = Pennant/Banner + Part B = metal love lettering)

Open House Layout for Lasting Memories #694

Hooray for Sundays and Lasting Memories challenges! Here's another Getting Into Shapes challenge from Sandy, and this time we're focusing on triangles with a twist of using ephemera. I am almost done with my eldest son's elementary school album, so I decided to grab photos from his 5th grade open house and incorporate triangles by adding a little banner for the title. What creative way can you use triangles and ephemera? Come show us over at Lasting Memories by March 30!

Recipe:
Smarty Pants patterned papers & stickers
Kraft, Candy Apple, Buttercup, Colonial White, Black, Grape, Fern & Bluebird cardstock
Candy Apple, Desert Sand & Fern ink
Black marker
Twilight Bigger brads
Sunset baker's twine
Illustrated Faith Family ephemera (Bella Blvd)
Field Trip Ephemera (American Crafts)
Field Notes ephemera (American Crafts)
Slice of Life puffy stickers (American Crafts)
Let's Wander Thickers (American Crafts)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: banners
Cricut Artiste cartridge: title
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #59

Challenges: The Outlawz Anything Goes in a Card Free Zone;  Scrap With Stacy March Tic-Tac-Toe board (used the diagonal with stickers + circles + puffy stickers)

Water Lane Layout

I really wanted to use some patterned papers I bought to scrap my London trip from 2017 (I've only been working on it six years - LOL!), so I skipped ahead to the Tower of London. These photos were taken just inside the Tower's entrance, at historic Water Lane, so named because it used to be right on the banks of the Thames until Edward I filled in part of the river and created the Outer Ward. We took some great photos at the Tower, but the one of my hubby with the Yeoman Guard (a Beefeater) is one of my favorites!

When I put it in the album, this layout will also include a Flip-Flap with two additional photos (St. Thomas' Tower and the Traitor's Gate) that will cover the journaling, so here they are:

Recipe:
Limited Edition, Make It Count, Distressed Backgrounds & Stipple Plaid stamp sets
Once Upon a Time paper (P13)
Candy Apple, Sapphire, Mist, Almond & White Daisy cardstock
Candy Apple, Sapphire, Mist, Almond & Slate ink
Grey Fineliner pen (iBayam)
Wood heart & arrow
Bamboo Bigger Brad
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: banners, tag
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #95

Challenges: Heart's Quest Challenge Blog # 32 Travel + Love/hearts; Double Trouble #141 Something, Anything, Everything (Thing 1 = anything goes + Thing2 = played along with previous partner Cupcake Inspirations #572)

There's grey in there, too, but hopefully that's okay!

Princess Party Layout for Lasting Memories

So excited to be asked to be a guest designer for Lasting Memories challenge blog this month! For their second May challenge, they asked us to use the "something new" portion of the wedding tradition. The newest product I have is the Smitten paper pack from Close to My Heart, so I combined that with some photos from my daughter's princess party. Click on the link above if you want more details and to play along with the Lasting Memories challenges.

Recipe:
Lollydoodle & Fanfare stamp sets
Smitten papers
Capri, Flamingo, Toffee & White Daisy cardstock
Capri, Flamingo & Raspberry ink
Versamark ink
Watermelon marker
Gold embossing powder
Pearl Opaques
Teen Spirit Girl ephemera (Echo Park)
Unicorn ribbon (American Crafts)
Cricut Artistry cartridge: title shape, hearts, geo-tag
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge 97

Challenges: Double Trouble #109 Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Thing 1 = used both a rainbow of colors and predominantly pink + Thing 2 = played along with Colorful Options Pretty Pink challenge + Thing 3 = added unicorn ribbon)

EMS Sketch Challenge 96 - Bass Pro Shop Layout

Hopefully you have had some time to work on a layout using last month's sketch, because here comes a new one! I seem to do a lot of seven photo sketches; for some reason, that tends to be how many photos I need to scrapbook, so that's what I create. Enjoy the sketch, change it up as needed, and don't forget to post a link to your completed layout so I can leave some love.

The sketch:

My layout:

Recipe:
Traditional Christmas kit (KI Memories)
Black, Topiary, Pear, Pomegranate & White Daisy cardstock
Topiary, Pear, Cotton Candy & Pomegranate ink
Black marker
Clear craft button
Pink & White grosrain ribbon (Making Memories)
Pink grosgrain ribbon (Michael's)
Green ric-rac (JoAnn's Craft Essentials)
Silver snowflakes (Recollections)
Silver embossed die-cuts (from my stash, source unknown)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: banners, journaling spot
Cricut Simply Sweet cartridge: title
Challenges: Double Trouble #73 Die-lirious Holiday Season (Thing 1 = holiday scrapbook pages using a Cricut cut + Thing 2 = link up with Bitten By The Bug's die-cutting challenge + Thing 3 = patterned paper and ribbon); The Library Challenges #74 - Anthology (I chose Christmas Shopaholic so I used photos from Bass Pro Shop at Christmastime plus I added lots of silver accents to reflect the silver title of the book)

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)

Hello Summer Layout

I used a fun sketch from Let's Scrap to scrap these beach pictures, although I tweaked it a a bit to fit my photos!

Recipe:
Dream Pop & Dotty for You papers
Lagoon, Canary & Almond cardstock
Lagoon, Sunset, Smoothie & Slate ink
Smoothie marker
Summer Daydreams cardstock stickers (Photoplay)
My Crush Assortment stickers - Best Day Ever & Besties
Grey Wool baker's Twine
Base & Bling heart charm
Junebug Puffies
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: sun
Pattern: Let's Scrap 6-15-19

Challenges: Lasting Memories #451 - "Summer” in the title; Heart 2 Heart You Are My Sunshine;  Scrap With Stacy - Photo Inspiration (beach, flip flops, playing in sand)