Mirror Lake Layout

Anyone else experiencing the lazy days of summer? This is the last week before my kids go back to school, and I haven't felt like doing much except some reading and lounging around. Unfortunately, I had to do all that lovely back to school shopping, which hopefully is complete (unless I forgot something, which could definitely happen). Anyway, for today I'm posting one of my last Yosemite 2012 pages. In honor of National Coloring Book Day on August 2, I stamped and colored all the little square images on each page. Thanks to Deanna over at Scrapbook.com for the fun idea!

Recipe:
Solos 1, 4, 8, 9, H, K, N, U, V & April Word Puzzle stamp sets

Rustic Trail papers

Dutch Blue, Sky & Colonial White cardstock

Dutch Blue, Oliver, Goldrush & Cocoa ink

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink (Tsukineko)

ShinHan Touch Twin markers

Olive marker
Green epoxy bubbles

Cricut You Are Here cartridge: title, wave

Pattern: EMS Sketch 29
Challenges: Use Your Stuff Summer Fun challenge (I used lots of old supplies to document a fun time on vacation in July 2012).

LOAD #27 - Take Time to Play

Time for confession: I did not complete a layout yesterday! Time just got away from me, and before I knew it, it was bedtime and my layout was not even close to done. Kinda makes me laugh since the title of my layout was "Take Time to Play." Oh well, it's done now, so here it is. I used EMS Sketch 10, some old paper from DCWV, and quite a few stamp sets (including the discontinued but still much loved Word Puzzles).



Recipe:
March Word Puzzle, April Word Puzzle, September Word Puzzle, Just Be You, Boom & Hodgepodge Alphabet stamp sets
Patterned papers (DCWV)
Sorbet & Cranberry cardstock
Cranberry ink
Black marker
Connections Club Rewards brad

Just Hanging Out Layout

I love the Animal Cookie paper pack and My Stickease, especially this little hippo. Isn't she cute? Her mischievous look is adorable! This layout is the last of my vacation ones from November 2009. There are a few mistakes on it, but I will use them as teachable moments for all of you! I got the idea for threading the ribbon through the paper from a layout in Creating Keepsakes magazine. My word of advice? Be sure you calculate how many holes you need to punch so your ribbon ends are either both on top or both hidden under the layout. The top photo is done correctly, the bottom one is not. Another tip: when embossing, make sure the ink on items you don't want embossed is totally dry before stamping and embossing adjoining areas. Even non-pigment ink can stay slightly damp for a long time, and it will pick up stray bits of embossing powder even when you don't want it to!



Recipe:
Field Trip Alphabet & April Word Puzzle stamp sets
Animal Cookie Level 2 paper & My Stickease
Dutch Blue, Tulip & Sunflower cardstock
Dutch Blue, Sunflower & Versamark ink
Dutch Blue marker
White embossing powder
White gel pen (Sakura)
Natural hemp
Sunflower ribbon & metal charm

Mom's Mini Calendar Part 1

I have been toying with the idea of making a calendar for my mom for Christmas, but every time I sat down to work on it, my inspiration flew out the window. Then I was surfing the CTMH consultant bulletin board on Friday and found a cute mini calendar by consultant Anne Chek that really looked do-able. Using her pages as a springboard, the first six pages came together really quickly for me. Thanks for the inspiration, Anne! I used the Animal Cookies Level 2 paper pack and the Animal Cookies Creative Basics on each page. I love the versatility of this pack, with colors that are perfect for a variety of holidays and themes. I'm still working on the other six months, but here's what I've completed so far.













Recipe:
January Word Puzzle, February Word Puzzle, March Word Puzzle, April Word Puzzle, May Word Puzzle, June Word Puzzle, Moments in Time, All Decked Out, Extreme Caps & Say It In Style stamp sets
White Daisy, Moonstruck, Black, Dutch Blue & Sunflower cardstock
Moonstruck, Dutch Blue, Tulip, Clover Meadow, Sunflower, Desert Sand & Black ink
Autumn Terracotta marker
Liquid Glass
Brads

Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens Layout

What a crazy summer: VBS, swim lessons, visit from my MIL, vacation in Colorado - whew! After several weeks where I couldn't even catch my breath, much less do any scrapbooking, I finally have some completed layouts to share. I'm still working on our Hawaii 2006 vacation, but I gave up on completing it by the end of July. Now my goal is the end of August. I'm going to a crop / craft weekend at church this Friday night and Saturday, so hopefully I will crank out a few layouts there. Anyway, back to the layout. This was such a simple layout, yet I could not get it finished for a long time. I kept wanting to add more, but could not decide what, so I finally left it alone. It's based on a Becky Higgin's sketch, and I haven't done one of these for a while. It really made me miss the ease of completing a layout using Jeanette Lynton's How To books. They really are "faster, simpler, easier!" At least this is finally done, and the memories are preserved.



Recipe:
Alphabet Solos E, April Word Puzzle & Jungle Leaves (discontinued) stamp sets
Moon Doggie Level 2 paper pack
Sweet Leaf cardstock
Sweet Leaf ink
Cocoa Grosgrain ribbon
Cocoa marker

Time to sing - or not!

As an avid singer myself, I have always hoped my sons will follow in my footsteps, but it's getting less likely for Adrian. He really likes to sing, but is seldom on key, and he dreads the thought of anyone actually listening to him. When I give him positive feedback, he responds as if I were Simon on American Idol telling him how ghastly his performance was! Although I hope he grows out of this phase, I just had to document it for posterity's sake, hence this layout about his recent school performance, during which he mostly just stood mute while his class sang. Afterwards, his teacher came up and told me how enthusiastically he sang during rehearsals, but apparently the sight of all those people scared him speechless - literally! I'm pretty proud of this layout because I actually stitched on it, something I always admire on other people's artwork but seldom take the time to do on my own. And in case you're wondering, yes, the stitching is supposed to be crooked!





Recipe:
Charm Upper and Lowercase Alphabets, Hodge Podge Alphabet & April Word Puzzle stamp sets
Animal Cookies Creative Basics patterned paper
Moonstruck & White Daisy cardstock
Moonstruck, Tulip & Sunflower ink
Moonstruck marker
Tulip Embroidery Floss
Foam Squares
Threading Water scalloped punch by Fiskars

Man for All Seasons Birthday Card

This week has certainly been a card-making week, and there is no end in sight. I've made cards for Mother's Day and for my BSF leader (I'll post that one tomorrow after my Thank You stamp set arrives!), and tomorrow I am doing a 20 card workshop with my friend Lisa for a charity event. I still need to make cards for Teacher Appreciation week, and in the meantime, I put together this card for my husband's birthday. The idea came to me earlier this week as I was sorting the junk on my scrapbook table. Some die-cut snowflakes happened to find themselves next to a scrap of Hawaiian paper, and eureka! an idea was born. I went to work with my Monthly Word puzzle stamp sets, picking images that seemed to represent each of the seasons. Using the On Your Left pattern from Jeannette Lynton's Originals book, I created this card. The inside says "Happy birthday to my man for all seasons." Greg really liked it, and even thought I should make more (not for him, though!), so I guess the hard work I put into it paid off. Happy birthday, Honey. You truly are my man for all seasons.





Recipe:
January, March, April, August & November Word Puzzle Stamp Sets
Happy Birthday, Moments in Time & True Happiness stamp sets
Barn Red, Twilight, Bamboo & Colonial White cardstock
Barn Red, Twilight, Honey, Bamboo & Topiary ink
Barn Red & Bamboo markers
Blending pen
Edge distressor