EMS Sketch Challenge 39 - Sweet Friend

Time for another sketch! I took the month off from Heart 2 Heart, but then I came up with this sketch I wanted to share, so here it is. For my layout, I was really challenged by the colors (I couldn't find anything in CTMH's current color palate that matched), so I pulled out my old Hydrangea ink pad and created some embellishments and accents using White Daisy cardstock and a stamp set. The Paper Secrets challenge to use the word "sweet" on your page fit nicely into this layout of me and my CTMH upline and friend Jenni at the CTMH Convention in 2011. The right hand page will include a Flip-Flap with hidden journaling about how wonderful it was to attend Convention with a friend with whom I have so much in common, and how we had so much fun together!

The sketch:

  My layout:

Recipe:
Field Trip Alphabet & Universal Backgrounds stamp sets
Sweetheart Level 2 papers
Black & White Daisy cardstock
Cotton Candy, Black  & Hydrangea ink
Purple sparkles
Dymo Labels

Pemberly Card #2

Day 2 of rain, rain, rain in Loreto, Mexico! I'm so thankful for my card-making supplies and for the kids club  at our resort. I cranked out another simple card using the limited supplies I brought with me, and I drew some inspiration from the following blogs: 4 Crafty Chicks challenged us to use circles on our card, and Creative Belli asked to see winged things. I managed to combine both using a modified sketch from Sketch Support. The original sketch featured large squares, but I switched it to circles and added a small offset circle for my butterfly. Hope you like it!

Recipe:
Card Word Puzzle & Live Out Loud stamp sets
Pemberly Level 2 papers
Indian Corn Blue, Bamboo & Colonial White cardstock
Indian Corn Blue, Desert Sand & Outdoor Denim ink
Desert Sand marker
Colonial White grosgrain ribbon
3-D foam tape

Pemberly Card #1

I'm here on vacation in Loreto, Mexico, and after enjoying three days of sunshine and really hot weather, today it started raining. The first major storm in three to four years (depending on who you talk to) and we get stuck in it! I am so thankful I decided late the night before we left to pull together some card-making supplies to bring with me on vacation, or I would be going stir-crazy right now. I've been sitting in the corner of our suite crafting some cards, and I decided to check out some blogs for inspiration. Stampin' Royalty posted a card sketch challenge, so I took it and created a simple card with it. It had to be simple because I had no access to my Cricut and the only embellishment I brought with me was Colonial white grosgrain ribbon! I used the limited edition "It's Your Day" double stamp set from Close to My Heart - available for $5 until the end of September with the purchase of $35 in CTMH products. Look for more samples using this set throughout August and September.

The sketch:

My card:

Recipe:
It's Your Day & Card Word Puzzle stamp sets
Pemberly Level 2 papers
Desert Sand, Bamboo & Colonial White cardstock
Indian Corn Blue, Desert Sand & Outdoor Denim ink
Colonial White grosgrain ribbon
3-D foam tape

Party Fun Layout

I've had a layout sitting on my desk for several days, waiting to be finished, but it couldn't compete with the allure of watching Olympic re-runs. Can anyone relate? Anyway, I determined to ease back into scrapping with a super simple layout, so here it is! Ironically, it's all about competition, specifically, the fun games and competitions my boys participated in during a friend's birthday party. This fits perfectly with my second Virtual Scrapbook Night challenge to create a layout all about a competition. I used some old stickers from CM - happy to finally clear those out of my stash after 6 years! - and the color scheme was inspired by this photo from the Child's Play Challenges blog:

There's still time to play along with the challenges at Splitcoast Stampers! You can find the master list of challenges here; mine is "You May Take Me to the Fair."

Recipe:
Cranberry, Dutch Blue, Sunset, Pear & Sunflower cardstock
Black marker
Cranberry brads
Best Wishes stickers (CM)
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: letters
Pattern: Rhapsody from Imagine

The Boy Who Could Sleep Anywhere Layout

I love these photos of my little guy sound asleep in his basket of stuffed animals, and was looking for a creative way to scrapbook them. I chose a Nuts About Sketches sketch, and decided to use a challenge from the Child's Play blog: be inspired by the children's book, Goodnight Moon. The cover of the book shows a star-filled window and some hideous orange and green striped curtains. CTMH has never come up with a paper pack that could do those curtains justice, but I found some striped paper that at least has green and orange in it, so I started with that, and then added some starry paper from the Stardust kit. I had a lot of fun making the title like a children's book title, and then I had the idea of writing "reviews" for it. Hope you enjoy them! (Click on the picture for an enlarged view if you want to read them without straining your eyes.) And finally, since I used only scraps on this layout, I want to enter it in the Heart 2 Heart scraps challenge.

Recipe:
Expedition & Stardust Level 2 papers
Stardust My Stickease
White Daisy, Autumn Terracotta, Sunflower & Bamboo cardstock
Autumn Terracotta ink
Topiary marker
Pattern: Nuts About Sketches Week 58

Oh What a Day Layout

One of the challenges for Splitcoast Stamper's Virtual Scrapbook Night (VSBN) was to scrapbook an exciting day about which, at the end of it, you looked back and said, "Oh, what a day!" Last year's Close to My Heart Convention was like that for me. The first day was such a whirlwind of activity and new products. I chose a few pictures to tell the story of that fun but slightly overwhelming day, and I placed the second page on a True-Fit Folio in which I can store the agenda and all the other info from the first day. Color Dare #9 from the Color My Heart blog was to use Petal and Creme Brulee on a project. I did, but I also added additional colors; even though I don't qualify for the challenge, thanks, Sarah, for getting me started. I used some buttons ( a couple are pretty old), so this also qualifies for the Stampin' Royalty challenge to use buttons. P.S. VSBN is still going on, so please feel free to join us for some fun challenges!

Recipe:
Trinity Alphabet stamp set
Bella Level 2 papers
Creme Brulee & Colonial White cardstock
Petal & Olive ink
Petal & Olive markers
Just Blooms - White Daisy, Spring Blossom & Paradise
Colonial White ric-rac
Craft buttons
Olive embroidery floss
Pattern: Let's Scrap 12-7-11

Gifts 4 Dad Layout

Today is the start of Virtual Scrapbook Night: Let's Go to the Fair at Splitcoast Stampers. I'm hosting a challenge based on the Photography Exhibit that is one of my favorite events at the L.A. County Fair. I'm asking everyone to create a layout with a focus photo that is emphasized in some way (enlarged, fancy matting, arrows pointing to it, etc.). Here's my layout; hopefully it isn't hard to see which picture is my focus! Please come join us for some fun challenges this weekend. Challenges are being posted today and tomorrow, and you have until August 18 to complete as many of them as you want.

Recipe:
Urban Alphabet, Friendship Alphabet Small, Universal Backgrounds, Holiday Hoopla & Jubilation stamp sets
Dotty for You Level 2 papers
Sky, Buttercup, Grey Wool, Sweet Leaf, & Colonial White cardstock
Grey Wool, Lagoon, Sweet Leaf & Creme Brulee ink
Grey Wool, Lagoon, Sweet Leaf & Creme Brulee markers
Colonial White embroidery floss
3-D foam tape
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: pennants, banner
Pattern: Let's Scrap 6-27-12

Tim & Erika Layout

Scrap It With a Song has another great challenge for this month: be inspired by the song, "Every Girl Like Me." The lyrics made a wonderful addition to a wedding layout on which I was working. I used the first verse as part of my journaling. I also wanted to participate in the Colors of the Sea challenge from Through the Craft Room Door. Here's the inspiration photo:

I picked up the blue, yellow, purple and green for my layout. I originally had my photos laid out on Lagoon cardstock, but thought it was too bold for these pictures, so I stamped a background image on White Daisy cardstock using Versmark ink, embossed the stamped image using clear embossing powder, and then sponged Lagoon ink over it. I love the more subtle shade this created. If you can't see it very well, click on the photo to get a close-up. 4 Crafty Chicks is asking to see wedding-related artwork this week, so I also want to enter this layout in that challenge.

Recipe:
Diverse Backgrounds stamp set
Petal, Gypsy, Pansy, Topiary, Buttercup & White Daisy cardstock
Lagoon, Black, Blush & Versamark ink
Topiary Bigger brads
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: flowers, flourishes, lattice border
Pattern: Let's Scrap 6-8-11

Creative Belli Christmas in July

The wonderful ladies over at the Creative Belli Blog have invited me to be a guest designer this week for their Christmas in July challenge! I pulled out a few stamps from the Glory to God stamp set and got to work. It was fun figuring out the layering on this card; I was stuck on how to get the shepherd layer on top of the Bethlehem scene and the night sky without fussy-cutting him, but then I thought of stamping him on vellum. Love how it turned out and I hope you do, too. Annabelle Stamps is also doing a Christmas in July challenges, so I thought I'd submit my card there, too.

Recipe:
Glory to God & Everlasting Life stamp sets
Superhero Level 2 papers
Outdoor Denim, Kraft, Colonial White & Black cardstock
Vellum
Chocolate & Versamark ink
White & black embossing powder
Colonial White brads
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: frame, star

Home from Yosemite!

You may have noticed I've been MIA for the past week. My family took a week-long vacation to Yosemite National Park. We got home Sunday, and I finally finished washing all our dirty clothes today. There's nothing like a camping trip to turn all your white socks gray! Even thought I am not fond of camping, I have to admit it was a great trip. Here's a quote from my 7 year old, Elliot (made as we drove into the Yosemite Valley) that sums up the up-side and the down-side to camping: "I really gotta pee, but I'm soooo happy!"