Fontana Speedway Layout

Squeezing in a last minute layout for August! I had lots of fun using the Later Sk8r Picture My Life cards on this. They make great photo mats and can even be altered if something on them does not quite work on your layout. For example, I loved the look of the journaling card, but there was a sentiment on it that totally didn't fit with my layout, so I covered it with a die-cut arrow. Easy-peasy!

Recipe:
Flyin' High, Later Sk8r, Distressed Backgrounds & Ticket to Ride stamp sets
Later Sk8r Level 2 papers & PML cards
Whisper, Cranberry, White Daisy cardstock
Whisper, Slate, Cranberry, Lagoon & Outdoor Denim ink
Pear & Outdoor Denim markers
Lagoon & Slate washi tape
Cranberry concho
Round Durables - Pewter
3-D foam tape
Cricut Artiste cartridge: title
Pattern: Simple Stories
Challenges: Heart 2 Heart Ticket to Ride

Remember Howard Layout

When the father of a dear friend passed away two years ago, the family asked me to create the artwork for his memorial service program, and they sent me a picture for the cover. I saved the picture and also used it for this tribute page for a wonderful man who is sorely missed by friends and family alike. The hearts seemed an appropriate topper for this page, and, after cutting out the overlay, I backed it with different colors of cardstock for a stained glass window effect.

Recipe:
Silhouette & Believe Level 2 papers
Black, Sweet Leaf, Pacifica, Kraft & Colonial White cardstock
Pacifica & Sweet Leaf ink
Sweet Leaf grograin ribbon
Blue epoxy bubbles
Silver heart brads (from my stash)
3-D foam tape
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: hearts border, remember
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: Howard, swirl, title box, heart, scalloped circle, banners
Cuttlebug folder: D'vine Swirls
Pattern: Sketch-n-Scrap #87
Challenges; Color My Heart Color Dare 157 (Pacifica, Sweet Leaf, Black, Colonial White & Kraft); Picture This August 1 challenge (1 photo, 2 patterned papers, black background); Frosted Designs metal/metallics (I used 8 metal heart brads to accent the die-cut heart border)

Easter Egg Hunt 2013 Layout

Over at Lasting Memories, they challenged us to use the provided sketch plus include something with wings; I wanted to add some baby chicks in honor of our Easter egg hunt, but I didn't own a single stamp or sticker that had chicks on it! (Guess I know what to put on my wish list for next Easter). Instead, I added some butterflies that a German exchange student who stayed with us in 2013 gave me. I used my black marker a lot on this layout in order to mimic the look of the stamped Easter eggs and to tie the whole page together. BTW: there isn't actually a black strip on top of the layout; I wanted to show the sunburst extending off the page, so I didn't crop off the Versamat that was under the layout when I photographed it. Not sure whether to keep the sunburst as is or trim it off since it will stick out of the page protector. What do you think?

Recipe:

My Peeps & Bingo Alphabet stamp sets

Brushed Level 2 papers

Sky, Canary, Pixie, Pear, Topiary & White Daisy cardstock

Creme Brulee, Blush, Juniper, Pear & Black ink

Black marker

Watercolor markers (Prismacolor)

Butterfly stickers (Rossler Papier)

Sky & White Daisy brads

3-D foam tape

Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: flowers, stems, title box

Cricut Artbooking cartridge: title, sunburst

Challenges: Heart 2 Heart Good Day, Sunshine

Easter Drama Layout

After a several week scrapping hiatus due to the Costco photo printing center being offline, I finally manged to get some photos printed and scrapped! I used my August single page sketch for Splitcoast Stampers. I stayed pretty close to the sketch except I substituted tags for the smaller pieces on the sketch. If you decide to play along with the sketch, please click on the link at the bottom of the page to post your completed layout so I can admire it!

The sketch:

My layout:

Just in case you're wondering, the bee/insect theme springs from John the Baptist eating locusts and honey!

Recipe:
Buzz & Bumble stamp set
Buzz & Bumble Level 2 papers
Kraft & Champagne cardstock
Vellum
Cocoa, Goldrush & Black ink
Cocoa & Goldrush markers
Buzz & Bumble Assortment embellishments
Burlap ribbon
Natural hemp
Pattern: SCS Sketch15Aug1

Birthday Gifts Layout

I'm still working on my obsessive need to make everything match in my layouts, so for this one, I tried picking out some not very featured colors from my photos (the red and yellow) and adding colors that weren't found anywhere in my photos (the teal and orange). Hope it came out as well as I think it did! The little envelope will eventually contain a list of which presents my son received from which friends for his birthday, which will serve as a fun reminder of who was part of his life at this point in time.

Recipe:
Free To Be Me Level 2 papers
Free To Be Me embossed cardstock
Honey & Grey Wool cardstock
Cranberry & Creme Brulee ink
Ocean marker
My Crush Besties Assortment
My Crush Best Day Ever Assortment
Creme Brulee paper clip
Cranberry ribbon
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: stars
Pattern: Sketch-n-Scrap Sketch 86
Challenges: Heart 2 Heart Birthday Bash challenge; Scrap Our Stash "paper" challenge; I used Photo corners, Arrows & Alphabet stickers, Paper clip, Envelope & Embossed cardstock, Ribbon

The Game's Afoot! Layout

My family went to the Sherlock Holmes exhibit at the Discovery Cube recently, so when I was thinking up a title for this layout about the games we played at my son's birthday party, I couldn't resist using one of Sherlock's favorite sayings! I used some old products from my stash plus the July single page sketch I designed for Splitcoast Stampers. Check back on Friday to see an all new sketch!

Recipe:
Patterned paper from my stash, source unknown
Holiday Red, Sky, Sweet Leaf, Autumn Terracotta, Pacifica & White Daisy cardstock
Holiday Red, Sky, Sweet Leaf & Autumn Terracotta ink
Pacifica marker
Best Day Ever Assortment stickers
White Daisy grograin ribbon
Red Glitter Gems
Turquoise ric-rac (Craft Essentials)
Cricut Artiste cartridge: asterisk, "the," "afoot!"
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: clip, "game's"
Cuttlebug embossing folder: Spots & Dots
Pattern: SCS Sketch15Jul1

SCS July Sketch + Go Ahead & Jump Layout

I haven't been very good about posting the sketches and layouts I create for Splitcoast Stampers on my blog, but I'm trying to do better. Here's the single page sketch for July, featuring three 4" x 6" photos. Hope this inspires you to get out your supplies and start scrapping. If you want to share your layout, you can either add your URL in the comments below or go to Splitcoast Stampers and post it in the gallery with the keyword Sketch15Jul1 so I can check it out. I love to see how people interpret my sketches!

The Sketch:

My Layout:

Recipe:
Save the Date & Tiny Typewriter Alphabet stamp sets
Fanfare Level 2 papers
Pacifica, Outdoor Denim, Cranberry & White Daisy cardstock
Outdoor Denim & Cranberry ink
Outdoor Denim marker
White gel pen (Sakura)
Outdoor Denim bookplate, brads & buttons
White ric-rac (Wrights)
Trinkets wooden shapes
Blue Magic Mesh (Historical Imports)
Cricut Artiste cartridge:circle, Jump
Pattern: Splitcoast Stampers Sketch15Jul1
Challenges: Creating with Paper & More color challenge (I used all five colors, although my middle shade of blue looks a lot darker in my scan); Scrap Our Stash PHOTOS challenge (P = patterned paper, H = hemp, O = Outdoor Denim ink, T = Trinkets wooden shapes, O = Oval bookplate; S = stamping); Southern Girls Sticky Business challenge (I pulled out some really old Magic Mesh, and it actually still was sticky!)

Together Layout

With July 4th just past, there are a lot of red, white and blue crafting challenges floating around. I didn't have any July 4th photos so I grabbed a picture with those colors and started scrapping. The background of the photo was really distracting (can anyone say lawnmower?) so I tried a new-to-me technique; I converted the background to black and white while keeping the people in color. I also played along with a few other challenges, so be sure to check them out at the bottom of this post.

Recipe:
Just Be You stamp set
Ruby, Outdoor Denim, Kraft & Colonial White cardstock
Ruby, Outdoor Denim & Desert Sand ink
Outdoor Denim marker
Colonial White brads
Ruby chevron ribbon
Enamel stars
3-D foam tape
Cricut Artiste cartridge: title, stars
Cuttlebug embossing folders: CTMH Stripe, Swiss Dot
Pattern: Stick It Down July single page sketch
Challenges: Color My Heart Ruby, Outdoor Denim, Kraft & Colonial White color challenge; Frosted Designs Red, White & Blue with a Twist (my "something old" is all the product and my "something new" is the technique of recoloring a photo); Picture This Red, White, & Blue + 1-2 photos + stars; Rochelle Spears July tic-tac-toe (I chose the column with brads, stars & striped paper); Lasting Memories Together theme

Shower Layout

This layout has been sitting on my desk for weeks while I was busy with other things, so this morning I bit the bullet and got it finished! It was inspired by this layout, and I added a few embellishments to round it out.

Recipe:
You Are My Happy Alphabet, Chocolate Alphabet Small, Picture Perfect & Spot On Backgrounds stamp sets
Brushed Level 2 papers
Canary, Pixie & White Daisy cardstock
Lagoon, Creme Brulee, Blush & Pear ink
Lagoon baker's twine
White Daisy brads
White Daisy Photo hangers
White Daisy organdy ribbon
Flamingo Dots
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: banner, scalloped border, hearts, tags

Super Duper Dad Card

I've been making lots of cards this month but I forgot all about making a Father's Day card until this evening, so I had to wait until my hubby was in bed to start crafting! Thanks to a loosely interpreted sketch from Retro Sketches, I had a basic design. My husband loves to take the kids to the skate park, so I immediately thought of using the Later Sk8r papers for the card. Does anyone remember the scene in The Incredibles where Mr. Incredible asks his kids how they are doing after a wild car ride involving almost crashing the car, and his kids respond, "Super duper, Dad?" This Picture My Life card totally reminded me of that, so I built a Father's Day card around it!

Recipe:
Later Sk8r Level 2 papers & Picture My Life card
White Daisy cardstock
Whisper, Slate, Pear, Lagoon & Black ink
Black marker
Black hemp
Licorice Opaques - black
Dymo label - black
Cricut Artiste cartridge: dad
Challenges: Heart 2 Heart Man Oh Man challenge; Use Your Stuff Color Me Happy challenge (my hubby's relationship with my kids makes me happy, so I used a favorite color combo of blue and green to celebrate it)