Off to School Layout

I've been working on my daughter's school album this week, but since I don't have any more photos printed for her, I switched to my son's album. I'm starting his 5th grade photos, so almost done with elementary school. He's 20 now, so I am a little behind - LOL! Here was first day of school. I had fun making the little composition notebook with his name on it and framing the piece of cork paper with woodgrain paper to create the bulletin board with my first day of school letter on it. I also tried out an ink splat stencil that I had never used before, and I love the slightly messy look it adds to the page, perfect for my ADHD kiddo.

Recipe:
Take Note stamp set
Smarty Pants & Woodgrain papers
Black & White Daisy cardstock
Desert Sand, Sunny Yellow, Candy Apple, Sapphire & Juniper ink
Black marker
Smarty Pants stickers
School Is Cool Ephemera Icons (Bella Blvd)
Enjoy #Life journaling card
To Go Sentiments rub-ons (K & Company)
Tape measure ribbon (Offray)
Ink splat stencil (from Amazon)
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #3 (I'm trying to use it four times this month for a challenge over at Scrapbook.com, so you will probably see this sketch again!)

Challenges: Colorful Options - I don't have any Halloween photos to scrap for the orange and black option, so I went with the rainbow of colors instead; Inkspirational #353 Seeing Stars -  a star border plus lots of little stars scattered around; Stencil Fun - pulled out a new ink splat stencil to add some messiness to the layout.

SVK Layout for Lasting Memories #760

Today's Lasting Memories challenge gave me a chance to get nostalgic about a much loved but now defunct scrapbooking company: Close to My Heart. Jill was asking us to create a layout using a favorite brand or designer, and CTMH has long been a favorite for me. I was so sad when they went out of business a couple of years ago, but fortunately, I have enough of their products to last me for the next ten years! What about you?  If you have a favorite designer or brand or company, feel free to hop on over to Lasting Memories and share a layout using lots of their products.

Recipe (unless noted, all products are from CTMH):
Connections, Washi Wonder, Chantilly, Take Note & Picture Perfect stamp sets
Splendor papers
Canary, Candy Apple & White Daisy cardstock
Goldrush, Canary, Candy Apple, Topiary & Black ink
Black marker
Ruby Red fineliner pen (iBayam)
DE Monograms chipboard S, V, K
Red enamel hearts
Dot Fade layering stencil (Stampers Anonymous)
Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: notepaper
Pattern: Splitcoast Stampers Sketch17Mar

Challenges: Heart's Quest #75 Anything Goes with red or blue heart); Can You Handle the Pressure? Anything goes with an embossing folder - I used one to add dots to the red circles; Colorful Options July - I used the four suggested colors, although my green is a little darker like in the photo.

BFF Layout

I was trying to think of a good title for this layout when I ran across a challenge from Little Red Wagon to create something with a friendship theme. These photos really illustrate the close friendship my two youngest kids had. This past year in therapy, my daughter revealed how lost she has felt the last four years since her little brother passed away. He was always the outgoing, playful one, so it's been hard for her to make friends without him to lead the way. While I pray she is able to overcome and find her footing someday, I will always be thankful for how the two of them weathered life's storms together.

Update: Chosen as a Featured project on Little Red Wagon!

Recipe:
Best Friends Forever & Take Note stamp sets
Happy Trails papers (Simple Stories)
Lagoon, Saffron, Crystal Blue & White Daisy cardstock
Ruby, Goldrush, Saffron, Lagoon, Crystal Blue ink
Black marker
White gel pen (Sakura)
Bold & Bright ephemera (AmericanCrafts)
Cool Summer Night enamel dots (Altenew)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: tags
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: notebook page
Cricut Artistry cartridge: umbrella, raindrops
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #25 (rotated left)

Challenges: Creative Inspirations The Great Outdoors - I love these pictures of my kids fooling around outside in the aftermath of a rainstorm!

New Smile Layout

I'm finally getting started with scrapping my photos from 2018 (only 6 years behind now!) and this seems like a great place to start: my daughter getting braces for the first time in January 2018. Although I know it wasn't a complete success and she ended up having to remove them early since her poor dental hygiene was putting her teeth at risk, I tried to journal what I think I would have been feeling at the time. Can anyone relate? Actually, she now has braces again and we hope to finish the job, but even the first round did help a lot so her bottom teeth weren't cutting into the roof of her mouth!

Recipe:
Alphabet Solos N & Take Note stamp sets
Teen Spirit Girl papers (Echo Park)
Gypsy, Capri, Honey & White Daisy cardstock
Gypsy, Capri, Honey & Raspberry ink
White gel pen (Sakura)
Crafting tape - washi & glitter (Recollections)
Lavender check ribbon (Michaels)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: tag, stars, banner
Star punch (EK Success)
Pattern: Sketch-n-Scrap #312 - includes twist of old papers + new embellishment (washi and glitter tape)

Challenges: My Time to Craft #551 & Let's Craft and Create #215 - both had challenges to use a sentiment, so in addition to the cute sentiments on the patterned paper, I used a smile stamp as part of my title)

Let's Do This Layout for Lasting Memories #683

Good morning and welcome to another challenge from Lasting Memories. Design Team member Lori picked out a bunch of sketches for us to use, and I must admit I was a little nervous about using this one. Tiny photos aren't really my style, so I decided to change it up by using two larger photos, which meant the central portion of  my layout ended up not being tall and skinny. I like how it came out, though, and I always enjoy seeing the various ways people interpret the same sketch. Can't wait to see what you do with it! Please join us over at Lasting Memories before February 3rd to share your take on any of our sketches for this month. 

Here's today's sketch with a twist of  4 different pieces of patterned paper (I used 6):

And here's my layout:

Recipe:
Blue Ribbon, My Game & Take Note stamp sets
Splendor & Wood Grain papers
Goldrush, Mocha, Creme Brulee, Colonial White & White Daisy cardstock
Goldrush, Moonstruck, Topiary, Toffee, Mocha & Whisper ink
Goldrush & Moonstruck markers
Warm Grey ShinHan Touch Twin marker
Paper flowers (Recollections)
Goldrush Bigger Brads
Just Blooms Floret paper leaves
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: sun, fence
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: ticket, tab, scalloped border
Cricut Artiste cartridge: cloud, notebook paper
Cricut You Are Here cartridge: heart geotag
Challenges: Cut It Up Challenges #294 Anything Goes with a die-cut (I used 8!); Let's Craft & Create #203 A Penny for Your Thoughts i.e use a sentiment (used Let's Do This as my title).

Engage Layout + Lasting Memories #634

One Little Word has become a popular trend among scrapbookers to help focus their minds on what is important during a given year. I had never done this or even considered it, but the latest challenge from Lasting Memories was - you guessed it - One Little Word! It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to do for this, but I eventually chose the word "Engage" and found a sketch and a recent photo of myself to use for my layout. I bought a 9" x 9" shadow box that I will use to frame the layout, and I plan to hang it in my scrapbook room to help me remember to engage throughout the course of the year. Hopefully seeing it all the time will help keep me accountable! If you have been thinking of picking a One Little Word for the year, the Lasting Memories challenge is open until the end of the month for you to join with your scrapbook page containing your word. Hope to see you over there!

Recipe:
Take Note & Cherish the Day stamp sets
My Happy Place papers (Doodlebug Designs)
Sage, Pixie, Black & White Daisy cardstock
Sage, Pixie & Black ink
Black marker
Oh Happy Day chipboard stickers & washi tape (Simple Stories)
Heart to Heart Shape Sprinkles (Doodlebug Designs)
Cricut Simply Sweet cartridge: title
Cricut Artistry cartridge: tab
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: notebook paper
Pattern: Page Maps Sketch

Challenges: Crafter"s Cafe #293 Colors of the Rainbow

Winter Wonderland Layout

We never get snow in Los Angeles, but we are fortunate enough to have mountains within a short drive, so we occasionally are able to take the kids sledding. I loved being able to pull out a bunch of my winter themed stamps - that I can't resist purchasing but seldom get to use - and put them to work creating this layout!

Recipe:
Snowflakes, Flakey Friends, All Decked Out & Take Note stamp sets
Snowhaven & White Pines papers
Cranberry, Glacier, Pewter & White Daisy cardstock
Cranberry, Glacier, Pewter, Almond & Black ink
Black marker
ShinHan Touch Twin markers
Jingle All the Way puffy stickers (Simple Stories)
Red & White pearls
Cranberry grosgrain ribbon
Cricut Artistry cartridge: title shape, snowflake
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: notebook paper
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: postage stamp frame
Pattern: Stick It Down January 2023 double page sketch

Challenges: Use Your Stuff #475 Inspired by a Book - my son's kindergarten teacher gave him this book many years ago, and even though we didn't build a snowman on this trip, I added a couple to my layout anyway!

Magical Thrills & Chills Layout

 Despite living in Southern California, our family tends to avoid Disneyland because of the high prices and the crowds, but when an out-of-town relative is visiting and wants to go, what can you do? This is the first of several Disney layouts I need to scrap, and they all will have lots of photos, so I was happy to use the January double page sketch as my starting point for this one. I wasn't paying attention and ended up cutting the striped patterned paper so it just matted the photos, so I added a strip of a different patterned papers below, and then another strip of the top paper so that it (hopefully) looks like it's supposed to on the sketch!

The thick acrylic pieces made this layout hard to scan, so IRL the pieces are not all crooked!

Recipe:
Take Note stamp set
Happiest Place papers & Acrylic Shapes
Glacier, Lemonade & White Daisy cardstock
Glacier, Lemonade & Candy Apple ink
Black marker
Say Cheese II stickers (Simple Stories)
Magical Adventure stickers (Echo Park)
Liquid Glass
Pattern: Stick It Down January Double page sketch

Challenges: Use Your Stuff  #439 Inspired by Disney; Double Trouble #101 3 patterned papers

End of School Year Cards

My son is graduating from eighth grade tonight, so I whipped up a fun card for him. I thought the sunglasses were a perfect fit for his teenage attitude!

Recipe:
Elemental & Universal Backgrounds stamp sets
Stargazer papers
Canary & White Daisy cardstock
Poppy, Pacifica, Canary & Grey Wool ink
Cricut Artistry cartridge: balloon
Cricut You Are Here cartridge: graduation cap, sunglasses
Pattern: Sketch-n-Scrap card sketch 143
Challenges: BBTB graduation theme

And for another teacher thank you card, I made this ice cream card for his English teacher. I thought she would like the play on words!

Recipe:
Take Note stamp set
Free to Be Me papers
Mint, Kraft & White Daisy cardstock
Juniper, Goldrush, Desert Sand & Tulip ink
Cricut Artistry cartridge: ice cream & cone
Pattern: Sketch-n-Scrap card sketch 140

Happy Together Layout

For this bunch of photos of the kids riding scooters and skating around our cul-de-sac, I decided to feature three photos on a traditional layout and put the rest in a pocket page. The design is actually a scraplift of Sandra's "Biker Dawls" layout from over on Scrapbook.com. Down the left side of her page, Sandra had a bunch of sayings she had cut out of a piece of pattered paper, but I chose to ink up my stamps and get to work stamping and cutting! I used the rainbow paper from my brand new "I Heart Us" paper pack from CTMH, and that gave me a whole rainbow of colors to chose from when stamping the little sentiments.

And here's the journaling card from the pocket page:

Recipe:
Boys at Play, Framework Alphabet, Friendship Word Puzzle, It's Your Day, Just for Boys, Kid Power, Later Sk8r, Take Note, This & That, Whooo's Your Valentine & You and Me stamp sets
I Heart Us papers & My Complements stickers
Canary, Bluebird & White Daisy cardstock
Canary, Pixie, Thistle, Key Lime, Lagoon, Sweet Leaf, Raspberry & Bluebird ink
ShinHan Touch Twin marker
Hopscotch PML card
Stargazer and Cats & Bats Dots
Thistle striped ribbon
Staple
Star punch (EK Success)
Challenges: Heart 2 Heart Happy Times challenge; Lasting Memories #444 alphabet stamps (used to stamp "happy" in my title); Double Trouble Something, Anything, Everything challenge (for Thing 1, I pulled out a bunch of stuff I have never used before - the I Hearts Us papers, Bluebird cardstock, Bluebird & Raspberry ink pads, and a roll of Thistle ribbon, then for Thing 2 I played along with Heart 2 Heart, and finally I used tons of word stamps for Thing 3).

Time 2 Soar Layout

For this layout memorializing my daughter's first day of second grade, I was delighted to use a bunch of pink! The base cardstock is actually white, but I used the emerging colors technique to create a patterned look in pink and then added hints of yellow using a sponge dauber. Even though there are lots of patterns on this layout, it was all created by stamping and brayering - there is no patterned paper.

Recipe:
Diverse Backgrounds, It's Your Day, Live Out Loud, Take Note & He Said She Said stamp sets
Canary, Watermelon & White Daisy cardstock
Canary, Watermelon, Bubblegum, Black & Versamark ink
Black marker
Craft buttons
Bubblegum embroidery floss
Chipboard 2
White paint
Star Dust Stickles (Ranger)
Gold embossing powder
Cricut Artistry cartridge: butterflies
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: envelopes (since I didn't need to put anything in them, I used tags and folded over the tops)
Pattern: Let's Scrap 11-1-18 sketch

Ben Franklin House Layout

I'm hosting the Hooray for Hollywood Virtual Scrapbook Night over at Splitcoast Stampers this weekend, so I wanted to share a few of the challenges over the next week and invite everyone to play along. The challenges will all be posted this weekend, but you have until the end of October to complete them. Here's my layout for the Celebrity Homes Tour Challenge.

I didn't have a Hollywood home to scrapbook, but I figured Benjamin Franklin is a pretty huge celebrity in American history, so here are some photos from the home he lived in for 16 years in London. I included a fun fact we learned on the tour (click on the photo to see a close-up view of the journaling), and I have some hidden journaling about the strange looking object in the photos on the right page. It's a replica of the original glass armonica invented by Franklin. (If you're not sure what an armonica is, check out this video). We were able to try it out to see if we could make it work!

Recipe:
Swirl Strokes Caps & Lowercase Alphabet, Take Note & Connections stamp sets
Emporium papers & My Stickease
Barn Red, Buttercup & Colonial White cardstock
Barn Red, Sweet Leaf, Cocoa, Creme Brulee & Crystal Blue ink
Colonial White ric-rac
Sweet Leaf ribbon
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: journal page
Cricut Artistry cartridge: house
Pattern: EMS Sketch 57

London from Above Layout

I'm not exactly zipping through my London layouts, but they are slowly getting done. Here's another one from our trip to St. Paul's Cathedral. Having injured my knee right before we left on our trip, I was not up to climbing the 528 steps to get to the Golden Gallery on the exterior of the dome, even with a great view like this in store, so my hubby took lots of pictures for me to scrapbook instead! Many thanks to my Splitcoast Stampers buddy Lela, whose layout I scraplifted, although I made some modifications to fit my panoramic pictures.

Recipe:
Jennifer's Hand Alphabet & Take Note stamp sets
Jackson Level 2 papers
Juniper, Glacier, Barn Red & Colonial White cardstock
Juniper, Glacier, Barn Red & Cocoa ink
Barn Red marker
Barn Red Bigger Brads
Colonial White brads
White Daisy baker's twine
Bronze shimmer trim
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: banner
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: notebook paper
Challenges: Splitcoast Stampers Tour de France challenge 4 (pick a favorite layout and scraplift it); Lasting Memories outdoor adventures challenge (okay, this may be cheating a little, but these pictures were certainly taken outdoors, and it was quite an adventure to get to the top, so  . . . ); Scrap Our Stash tic-tac-toe (I chose the column on the right, with twine, stamping, and a banner).

ABC Album N & O Layouts

The latest layouts for my son's kindergarten ABC album include the letters N and O. For the N layout, I used the June 1st sketch from Stuck?! Sketches. Everything is compressed on my layout to compensate for the smaller format while still using a 4" x 6" photo, but I tried to add some fun touches anyway,

The O layout uses Anna's sketch from The Studio Challenges. I loved the flowers on her original sketch and was even able to find some that reminded me of them among my Cricut cartridges.

Recipe:
Blue Ribbon & Take Note stamp sets
Typeset Level 2 papers
Cashmere, Vineyard Berry, Juniper, Cocoa & Colonial White cardstock
Cashmere, Vineyard Berry, Juniper & Cocoa ink
Cocoa marker
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: title, tag, stars, banners
Cricut Artistry cartridge: flowers

It's Your Birthday Layout

A sketch from Brenda Ragsdale inspired me to go hunting through my box of scraps for some papers to layer onto today's layout. It was perfect to use up some older scraps, and I can't believe I actually figured out the manufacturer on all of them. I'm also celebrating because this is my last layout from 2012, which mean I need to get started on scrapping 2013. Hooray for only being 2 years behind in chronicling my family's journey - LOL!

Recipe:
Typed Note, Take Note, Tiny Typewriter Alphabet & Distressed Backgrounds stamp sets
Yellow Spot & Red distressed papers (Basic Grey)
Green dotted paper (Diane J. Hook)
Numbers paper (KI Memories)
Black & Whisper cardstock
Black, Ruby & Ponderosa Pine ink
Cranberry satin ribbon
Ruby courderoy badge buttons
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: "It's your" title, banner, stars, tags
Cricut Artiste cartridge: "birthday" title
Pattern: GrandDiva's May sketch challenge
Challenges: Heart 2 Heart's Extra! Extra! Read All About It challenge (the patterned paper is not CTMH, but everything else is!); Picture This May 15 challenge - 2 photos, dots, layers, stars

Tristan Layout

I was almost done with this layout, but I wanted to play along with Rochelle Spears' tic-tac-toe challenge and couldn't figure out what to use for an oval shape. I started rummaging through my stamps and noticed that the face on one of my sleeping baby stamp is oval shaped. Sometimes, you have to get kind of creative to play along with the challenges, but I love the finishing touch the stamped image adds to my layout.

I didn't add any journaling yet because I wanted to respect the privacy of the mommy and baby!

Recipe:
Take Note stamp set
Occasionally stamp set (SU)
Heidi's Flowers Stripe Decor patterned paper (Heidi Grace Designs)
Sweet Leaf, Goldrush & White Daisy cardstock
Sweet Leaf, Goldrush, Whisper & Taffy ink
Sweet Leaf & Black markers
Sweet Leaf ribbon
Green epoxy bubbles
Cabana Titles stickers (CM)
3-D foam tape
Pattern: Contrasting Elements from Jeanette Lynton's Cherish
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: title & notebook paper
Challenges: Splitcoast Stampers Stash Buster's challenge (ribbon, stickers, & notebook paper); Rochelle Spears' April tic-tac-toe challenge (I used the middle row across: oval shape, spring colors, ribbon)

Bright Angel Lodge Layout

Despite the craziness of Christmas and having kids on break from school, I managed to get another layout done for my 2011 Grand Canyon vacation! I pulled out an old sketch from my blog in order to document our time both outside and inside Bright Angel Lodge.

Recipe:
You Are My Happy & Take Note stamp sets
Laughing Lola Level 2 papers
Black & Crystal Blue cardstock
Black, Crystal Blue, Gypsy, Amethyst, Honey & Bamboo ink
Colonial White ric-rac
Pizzazz Irresistibles chipboard
Flutter Just Blooms
Purple Glitter Gems
3-D foam tape
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: flourish
Pattern: EMS Sketch 39
Challenges: Use Your Stuff anything goes (lots of older product from my stash on this layout!)

Remember When Layout

The last of my pictures from our second trip to the Natural History Museum in 2012. I used a Page Maps 5 photo sketch but managed to sneak in two more tiny photos by adding them to the stamped filmstrip pieces. I also went for a mostly black color scheme with just a little bit of kraft and white. I was so tempted to add in other colors, but I'm glad I didn't because I like the way it turned out!

Recipe:
Flight of the Arrows, Take Note & Cherish the Day stamp sets
Spellbound Level 2 papers (polkadots)
Stripe & Grid paper (KI Memories)
Kraft, Whisper & White Daisy cardstock
Black & Desert Sand ink
Cabana Titles stickers (CM)
White ric-rac (Wrights)
Star punch
CM Curvy cutter
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: ticket
Pattern: Page Maps September 2013 Double Page sketch
Challenges: Clear It Out use lots of black & stickers (3 title stickers); Frosted Designs use stars & stripes, 1 2 3 Get Scrappy top row (my rectangle pieces are the strips of Patterned paper and cardstock)

SCS Variety Challenge 203 - Frosty Fun

Time for another Variety Challenge for Splitcoast Stampers. Click on the link below to join in the fun!

SBVC203 - Viva La France
Using paper strips or ribbon and brads or buttons, create a French memo board to house the pictures and journaling on your layout. Not sure what one is? Here’s a link to some examples.

I started with the arrangement of the pictures and then added embellishments, tucking them under the ribbons like I would ephemera on a real French memo board. I really love how mine turned out because it reminds me of an eclectic bulletin board with lots of fun stuff to be discovered.

Recipe:

Take Note, Pair-a-Phrase, Alphabet Solos "H" & "O", January Word Puzzle & You & Me stamp sets

Elemental Level 2 papers

Cranberry, Pacifica, Honey, Chocolate & Black ink

Cranberry, Pacifica, Honey, Sky & Black markers 

Cranberry grosgrain ribbon

White Daisy Bigger Brads
Cranberry brad

Decor Journaling Spot
Cranberry baker's twine
All the die-cuts were from my box of left-overs, so I'm not sure which cartridges I used!
Challenges: Lasting Memories It All in the Colors (I colored in the stamped snowman and tag, and drew doodle lines on all the snowflakes)

SCS Variety Challenge 200 - Eaters of the Cake

It's time for a Variety Challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers, and I'm so excited to be hosting the 200th challenge! Who wants to celebrate with me? Join in the fun by playing along with our challenge using the link below.

SBVC200 - Mixed Messages
For today's challenge, I want you to use stamps, markers, die-cuts, your computer, etc. to create a title or journaling spot on your layout. Sound easy? But there's a catch: you have to either use at least three fonts, or intersperse symbols or pictographs amid your regular fonts. If you are creating your title or journaling by hand, you can use cursive, printing, all caps, or outlined letters (just to name a few ideas) to get the look of various fonts.

I decided to use both options, so I added some pictures to my hand written journaling, plus I used Tiny Typewriter, Polka Dot Alphabet & Felicity stamp sets to create the title. I always struggle coming up with titles for birthday layouts (how many times can you use Let Them Eat Cake?) so the title is a play on Michael Crichton's book "Eaters of the Dead."

Recipe:
Tiny Typewriter Alphabet, Polka Dot Alphabet, Felicity, Take Note, Perfect Fit - Birthday & It's Your Day stamp sets
Zippidee Level 2 papers
Bamboo, Cranberry, Indian Corn Blue, Honey & Colonial White cardstock
Cranberry, Indian Corn Blue, Honey & Desert Sand ink
Desert Sand marker
Honey Triangles washi tape
Cranberry conchos
Natural hemp
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: number border, tab
Pattern: Let's Scrap 10-30-13
Challenges: Heart 2 Heart CTMH challenge (C = cardstock & cake, T = tab & washi tape, M = metal conchos, H = hemp & happy); Frosted Designs Polka Dot challenge; SCS Stash January Busters challenge week 2