Christmas Concert Layout with HQCB Guest Design Opportunity

I'm still working on some Christmas layouts from 2018, and it seemed that there were lots of musical events that year; this one features photos from when my son sang in a Christmas concert at his school.

I was invited to be the guest designer for Heart's Quest Challenge Blog, which offers two options for their challenges. Here are the options for the current challenge:

I chose to use the first option of anything with a heart goes, and used black hearts, a large one and three small puffy ones. I'm going to try to do the other options, too, because it goes well with Christmas layouts, and I also have a Valentine's layout coming up that I might manage to squeeze in as well!

Recipe:
Jingle Joy & Journaling Jots stamp sets
The Holiday Life papers (Simple Stories)
Garden Green & White Daisy
Ruby & Black ink
Black marker
Jingle Joy Thin Cut
Jingle Joy tags
Peeled Paint Distress Spritz (Ranger)
Candy Apple Shimmer Trim
Ruby twine
Beetle Black Hearts puffy shapes (Doodlebug Designs)
Red Dot Essentials washi tape (Echo Park)
Dymo label
Winter Trees embossing folder (Cuttlebug)
Pattern: Sketch-n-Scrap #322

Challenges: Can You Handle the Pressure? Anything Goes with an embossing folder; Let's Craft and Create #225 Anything Goes with optional twist of twine; Love Those Pretty Papers Anything Goes with patterned paper and optional twist of forest critter (I included a bird); NBUS #80 - my never before used schtuff is the Christmas metal die and matching stamp, and the Jingle Joy tags.

Birthday Fun Layout for Lasting Memories #739

Today is the design team reveal for the final Lasting Memories challenge of February, and Sandy asked us to create a layout using a band design. It could be horizontal or vertical or even curved; I chose to go with a wide horizontal band which I then proceeded to cover with lots of photos - LOL! You can still see my dinosaur paper peeking out, though, so hopefully I fulfilled the assignment. Please join us for this or any of the other February challenges by Saturday, March 1.

Recipe:
Journaling Jots & Intrinsic Backgrounds stamp sets
Wild Asparagus paper (MME)
Field Trip paper (American Crafts)
My Happy Place (Doodlebug Designs)
Mocha, Black & White Daisy cardstock
Mocha, Black, Sunkiss Yellow, Creme Brulee & Lilac Mist ink
White gel pen (Sakura)
Black grosgrain ribbon
My Happy Place Shape Sprinkles (Doodlebug Designs)
Beetle Black hearts puffy shapes (Doodlebug Designs)
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: tag
Cricut Artistry cartridge: title
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #116 (revised to use only one band across the page)

Challenges: Cut It Up Challenges #324 Tie It Up - I used ribbon; My Time to Craft #554 - 1 tag and 1 ribbon + 2 circles + 3 patterned papers and 3 hearts; Crafter's Cafe #316 Spot and Stripes

Chargers Practice Layout

Any Chargers fans out there? My hubby comes from a family of die-hard Chargers fans, so he jumped at the chance to attend a practice down in San Diego. I'm not a big sports fan, but I did enjoy putting this page together. I used lots of Cricut cuts and a basic background to create the layout, and I even managed to get a little stamping in there. Go Chargers!

Recipe:
A Typeface & Journaling Jots stamp sets
Twitterpated Level 2 papers
Sky, Dutch Blue, Honey, Chocolate & White Daisy cardstock
Sky, Dutch Blue, Honey & Chocolate ink
Dutch Blue & Honey markers
White baby rick rack (Wrights)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: pennant
Cricut Artiste cartridge: title
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: overlays, stars, football
Pattern: Splitcoast Stampers Sketch16Apr3
Challenges: Heart 2 Heart's NSD challenge = create a scrapbook layout - easy!

Fairview Farms Layout

It's the second Wednesday of the month and I usually post a Variety Challenge for Splitcoast Stampers, but we're having a week-long Virtual Scrapbook Night with tons of challenges, so I'm taking a break to allow people to participate in that. Feel free to hop on over and check it out! The theme is "Mother Said," and all the challenges are oriented around mom-isms. Here's my first layout, based on Fashion Mom-ism #1, and the challenge is to do a simple, 1-3 picture, monochromatic layout. (There's another challenge for the "wild child," but I'm definitely in the "dutiful child" category)! My layout is based on shades of brown, but I did throw in a pop of yellow, so maybe there's a little bit of the wild child in me after all!

Recipe:
Journaling Jots & He Said She Said stamp sets
Buzz and Bumble & Dreamin' Level 2 papers
Champagne, Saddle & Colonial White cardstock
Saddle, Cocoa & Honey ink
Coca & Desert Sand markers
White Daisy & Spring Blossom Just Blooms
Cocoa & Chocolate brads
3-D foam tape
Pattern: Let's Scrap 3-24-10
Other challenges: Let's Scrap NSD Challenge #4

EMS Sketch Challenge 41 - First Haircut

I needed a design for these photos I was scrapping for my son's baby book, so I whipped up a new sketch. I omitted the side-pieces on my layout and put a border along the bottom of the pages, so don't feel you have to follow the design to a "t". I also added a Flip-Flap to hold two more photos, so there are lots of possibilities for using the sketch. Get creative, and don't forget to let me know what you did with it!

The sketch:

 

My layout:

Recipe:
Hodgepodge Alphabet & Journaling Jots stamp sets
Desert Sand, Cranberry, Goldrush, Moonstruck, Black & White Daisy cardstock
Goldrush, Moonstruck & Black ink
Black marker
Silver brads & Bitty Brad
Cricut Artiste cartridge: scissors, comb, silhouette, border

Rock Climbers Layout

The design team challenge from Let's Scrap is to create a monochromatic layout with one added color. Since this layout is mostly neutrals with the pop of blue, does it qualify? Hmmm . . . My favorite part is the title; I cut out the letters on my Cricut, sponged them with grey ink to make them look like rock, and popped them up to give more dimension. For a closer look, click on the photo.

Recipe:
True Happiness & Journaling Jots stamp sets
Black, White Daisy & Sky cardstock
Grey Wool & Sky ink
Black marker
Paper-clip
3-D foam tape
Pattern: Let's Scrap 1-11-12 sketch
Cricut Artist cartridge: notepaper, title

Bible Boot Camp Layout

Wow, this is my second layout this week! I guess I'm making up for my non-activity the previous two weeks. Mr. Mojo is back. The Lasting Memories blog is having a challenge this week: create a layout using green and white (in honor of St. Patrick's Day, of course). I don't have any St. Patty's pictures, but I did have some photos from last summer's vacation Bible school program. The theme was Bible Boot Camp, so there is lots of army green and camouflage in my photos. I used the pattern Magic Act from Jeanette Lynton's book Magic, and created some camouflaged paper by sponging New England Ivy, Olive, and Desert Sand ink on Bamboo cardstock. I really liked how the layout turned out, except I wish I had written VBS 2010 at the side of the page instead of where I put it. Oh well, can't win 'em all, right?



Recipe:
Hero's Pride, Extreme Caps & Journaling Jots stamp sets
Mistletoe Level 2 papers
Desert Sand, Bamboo & Colonial White cardstock
Olive, New England Ivy, Desert Sand, Cocoa & Grey Wool ink
New England Ivy marker
Colonial White brads
3-D foam tape
Sponges

LOAD #20 - Flight Deck

Some more pictures of the USS Midway. I used a brayer and Greg Wool ink to roll the background color onto White Daisy cardstock, and the results remind me of industrial steel, perfect for this layout.



Recipe:
Extreme Caps & Journaling Jots stamp sets
Barn Red & White Daisy cardstock
Grey Wool & Black ink
Barn Red marker
Pewter brads

EMS Sketch Challenge 21 & LOAD #13 - Climbing Half Dome Layout

I promised a sketch challenge every other Wednesday, so here it is. I'm scrapping a lot of panaromic pictures because my husband just loves to take them, but if you don't have a single picture to fit the bottom 2 spots, you could use 3 4"x6" photos. My panoramic photo ended up being a little shorter than 6", so I was able to add the "mountains" to the bottom of the page. I hauled out my old deckle scissor (remember when those were all the rage?) and cut a border, and then hand cut at irregular intervals to make the mountains taller.

The sketch:

My Layout:

Recipe:

Classmate Alphabet, Charm Uppercase Alphabet, Charm Lowercase Alphabet, Beautiful Things, Journaling Jots, & True Friends stamp sets

Stardust Level 2 papers 

Bamboo & Dutch Blue cardstock

Bamboo, Topiary & Moonstruck ink

Moonstruck marker

Deckle scissors (SU)

LOAD #14 - New Best Friends

We got these "dolls" for our boys at the Disney store a while back (they were on sale), and the kids were so excited about them. Adrian had dressed up as Buzz and Elliot as Woody for Halloween the year before (2008), so they each identified with their new friend. I especially love how Adrian carefully buckled Buzz into a seatbelt before we started the car. Too cute! Also loving the Route 66 papers I got through the CTMH Holiday Heyday Clearance Sale in December. Gotta have more of those sales, right? And I got a chance to use 2 new stamp sets that are destined to become favorites, Boys at Play and Cocktail Alphabet. I can tell these are going to be so useful in the future as I scrap photos of my two superheroes!



Recipe:
Boys at Play, Cocktail Alphabet & Journaling Jots stamp sets
Route 66 Level 1 papers
Moonstruck, Clover Meadow & White Daisy cardstock
Moonstruck, Clover Meadow, Cranberry & Sunflower ink
Natural twill
Sunflower embroidery floss
3-D foam tape
White jel pen (Sakura)

Women's Extreme Experience

I invited some friends over last night to scrapbook with me, and it reminded me why I scrapbook best alone. We were so busy talking that I only completed one layout in four hours! Oh well, at least we had fun. Actually, I would have finished more except I had a hard time finding my mojo for this layout. I tried one background, and even had the photos adhered, but my friend Patsy didn't like it. Sadly, I agreed, so I started over and am much happier with the results. I used Becky Higgins' sketch of the month from the June issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine as the base for my layout design. I love the Bella paper pack from CTMH, and was so happy for a chance to use flowers on a layout. I didn't have any matching embellishments, so I created my own. I cut out flowers and a vine from a piece of the Bella papers, coated the smaller ones with Liquid Glass for sturdiness, and adhered them to the pages. I then added brads to the centers of the flowers, and I was done!







Recipe:
Friendship Small Alphabet, Express Postage, & Journaling Jots stamp sets
Bella paper pack
Desert Sand & Cocoa cardstock
Cocoa ink
Pansy Purple marker
Liquid Glass
Brads