Love Right Now

The last layout that I will be sharing this month for My Creative Scrapbook uses the sketch that Christine Meyer designed for this month. I changed it up a bit by using a smaller photo, changing the orientation, and title placement. Sketches are a great jumping off point and I love how the same sketch can result in so many different looks.

I have some circle dies and I chose 3-4 different sizes. I made sure to cut out the same color in two different sizes so I had some play when placing the circles on the page. As you can see I just spread the colors around the page and I kept a diagonal flow with the placement. 

I fussy cut some flowers from a 12x12 paper and placed them in two different clusters. This brought a bit of visual weight to the photo and title, plus it repeated the flowers on the white circle. I don't always match every embellishment in each of my clusters, but it helps to bring continuity to the page by repeating one of the elements.

The kit came with sequins and I randomly placed some of the white sequins across the page to further play up on the circle theme.

                                      

This photo truly means so much to me for it captured an everyday moment and is just so sweet. My daughter would come up to Patrick while he was eating, and he would feed her like a baby bird. I don't have as many of these little moments when my kids were this age. It was hard enough to be the mom, let alone drag out a big camera. Cell phones and social media have definitely made capturing these priceless moments so much easier. 

I have a process video if you'd like to take a peek. Thanks so much for joining me, and I hope that you have a wonderful day :)

Counterfeit Kit Club Blog Hop

Today I am participating in the Counterfeit Kit Blog Hop, and this will be my last post for them this month as their October Guest Designer. I've included the full list of participants and their links so you can easily hop along and join in on the fun.

http://www.counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com

http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de

http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com.au

http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com

http://kaybeetoo.blogspot.com (This is where you are now)

http://dyspraxicorganisedscrapper.blogspot.com.au/ 

http://just-jimjams.blogspot.co.uk

Today's layout that I am sharing was created for the third challenge that was titled Playing Dress Up. This challenge involves doing anything to dress up your layout. You can choose to disguise it by adding paint or mixed media work, or bling it up by added stitching and sequins. I chose to use distress inks and mist to dress up the background along with adding gold foiled diecuts and glitter Thickers.

In my stash kit I had a few scraps of the gold polka dot vellum so I took a small piece and layered it with the paper layers behind the photo for some extra bling.

The floral diecuts were on my list to use with this kit. They are just so pretty and I was pleased that I was able to work them onto this page. Using my pretty things on a layout is so much better than hoarding them :)

The gold glitter Thickers were my starting point for this challenge. I love the font and the glitter, and knew that I had this photo of me and my husband that would be perfect for this page. Sometimes the photos influence the products I use, and sometimes the products dictate the photos I choose to scrap. I scrap both ways and love them both.

I have truly enjoyed playing along with the Counterfeit Kit Club this month. It has been a great way to dig into my stash and use some older products. I have a process video for this layout as well if you'd like to take a peek. Thanks so much for joining me and I hope you have a great day!

A Halloween Challenge

Mari and I have a new challenge up today, and this week it is a Halloween themed challenge. I do not scrap themed photos very often. I feel pressure when it comes to these types of pages, and I truly believe that it stems from the lack of themed products that I truly liked when I first started scrapbooking. One of my goals this year was to scrap more themed pages and I have to say that I have been pretty happy with the results. 

For today's layout, my main inspiration was the spider web cut file from The Cut Shoppe. I purchased this a while ago, and have decided that I really want to try and use things that I have purchased before I no longer like them...I know I'm not the only one that has done that, lol. 

Suffice it to say that since I don't scrap many themed layouts that my Halloween stash is not very big. The background paper for the cut file is a Fancy Pants paper from 2009. I did stitch through the webs with black thread for added texture. It was a painstakingly long process, but I am so glad that I did it. It really made the page come together for me.

The black word stickers are from Recollections, the spiders are Jolee's Boutique, and the gold stars and title are from the Crate Paper After Dark Thickers. The papers are from my scrap bin with the exception of the background paper and it is from American Crafts. I lost the manufacturers strip so I'm not sure of the name.

I added a bit of journaling with white gel pen on the tag stating that gone are the cute costumes and now it is all scary and gory things. The Trick or Treat sticker is from Pebbles, and the washi and twine are from my stash.

 I have a process video if you'd like to take a peek. Be sure and check out Mari's video as well. Take care and have a great day!

Hello High School

Today I have a layout for My Creative Scrapbook using their October Main kit. I have been challenging myself lately to use patterned paper as my background, and I have to say that I love the way that this layout turned out. It is definitely bold, so I kept the embellishments to a minimum. This layout is a simple one that documents the fact that both of our kids are in High School...which is just unbelievable since it seems like yesterday they were starting kindergarten.

The Hello Thickers are from the Dear Lizzy Saturday collection, the buttons and the smaller alphas are by Doodlebug and I painted black to make them stand out a bit more. The other embellishments are from the Amy Tangerine Oh Happy Day collection. Originally I wasn't sure how I would use an owl with this collection, but I thought that it was a great embellishment for a school page. 

I have a process video if you are interested in taking a peek at my process. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope that you have a great day!

Stuck?! Sketch Reveal

It's the 15th and that means that Stuck?! Sketches has another sketch up for your inspiration. 

I usually create layouts with one or two photos on the page, so when I first saw this sketch my immediate thought was to alter the sketch for 2 photos. However, the more that I thought about it, the more that I wanted the challenge of creating a layout with 4 photos. As I was glancing through my photos, I realized that I had the perfect series of photos for this exact sketch. 

I used the Gather collection by Maggie Holmes to create this layout, and I mixed in a piece of Fancy Pants Millie and June patterned paper (white with tiny royal blue hearts). The sketch called for circles and the 4 inch doilies were perfect to layer behind the photos. The blue alphas are by Pinkfresh Studios.

These photos capture some of my daughter's many facial expressions and truly depict her personality. There really isn't any journaling to add to this layout...the title and embellishments say it all. These are the little moments that I love to capture :)

The only real addition that I added to the sketch was the cluster in the lower right hand side of the page. Banners are sometimes difficult for me to use, so I was rather pleased with myself for using this on the first page that I created with this collection. 

I hope that you follow along and play with us this month. Be sure and link up to the blog and you will be eligible for prizes from the following sponsors. 

I have a process video if you are interested in seeing how this page came together. Have a wonderful day!

Love This

I created this layout a few months ago, and just have not had time to do a voiceover for the process video so that I could share it. I need more hours in the day...or an assistant...or both :)

I love the Fancy Free collection by Paige Evans. The colors and patterns are beautiful!! I think that my favorite thing about the collection is that I can use it for both masculine and feminine pages. Although I don't mind using pink for boy pages, it is nice to have a non-themed collection that is not primary colors. The cut file is designed by Ashley Horton and is available online at The Cut Shoppe. 

It is easy to get in a rut when it comes to designing pages, at least it is for me. So for this page, instead of overlapping the title on the bottom of the photo, I chose to put it along the side. It felt so good to do something a bit different, plus from a design perspective it works well with the vertical design of the hearts.

 Silver stitching down the center of the hearts helps to add to the vertical design of the page, plus it ties in the title. I also added some stitching along the strips on the left side of the layout. I will say this about the silver metallic thread...I thought I was going to throw my sewing machine out of the window. This thread broke so many times and also jammed up in the machine. Ugh!! However, I am not a sewing machine expert so I am sure that it was user error. 

For an unexpected pop of color, I brought in the salmon pink button and puffy stickers. Enamel dots finished off the clusters. I have a process video if you'd like to take a peek at my process. I hope that you have a great day, and I'll be back soon with another layout :)

This Makes Me Happy...

Today I have up my second layout for the month using the Main kit from My Creative Scrapbook. My inspiration this week came from the Happy paper and the cut apart card that says "It's Always Better When We're Together". When I have a busy paper that I want to see the pattern, I find that cutting it in a 4x12 strip really works for me, and I will either use it on the top or the side of the layout. This provides a great anchor spot for my photos as well since the design of the page follows the rules of thirds.

I used a circle punch to cut out the arrow phrase and then popped it up on foam to add some dimension. Black stitching helps to make the layers a bit more cohesive plus it just really looks good.

 I added a bit of black stitching to help anchor the cut apart with the acetate flower. Stitching is truly one of my favorite ways to add a bit of interest onto my pages.

This layout was a fun and relatively fast layout to put together. I have a process video if you'd like to take a peek. Thanks so much and I hope that you have a great day!

Scrap the Challenge: Focus on Fall

Mari and I decided to focus on fall for this week's challenge. Fall is one of my favorite seasons for so many reasons, so I thought that it would be neat to document it. I used this shape from the Silhouette design store by Felicity Jane. I bought it when the silhouette store was having a sale because I knew that I would most certainly use it. I also pulled out my kit that I made for the Counterfeit kit challenge for this month. 

 I am really trying to make an effort to use more patterned paper as backgrounds, and I love the way the cut file looks on this paper. The pink just makes everything pop off the page and I couldn't be more thrilled with the way that it turned out.

 Instead of journaling in sentence form, I typed out several things that I love about fall and then placed them randomly on the die cut. I then sewed through the strips with gold thread to add a bit more gold to the layout. Adding more gold is always a good thing!

These Dear Lizzy Thickers are some of my favorites for their size. The height adds impact and the width allows for a longer title without taking up a lot of room on the page. 

The papers used on this layout, the leaf clip, and the die cut pieces are all from the Pink Paislee Cedar Lane collection. I'm not 100% sure where the fox flair is from, but I think it is Freckled Fawn. I'm linking the process video below in case you'd like to take a peek at how the layout came together. Be sure and check out Mari's video as well. As always, suggestions for future challenges are always welcome :)

Counterfeit Kit Challenge #1: Snip, Snip

Today's layout with the Counterfeit Kit challenge is one that I love and I had the perfect paper in my stash kit. One of my favorite things is to fussy cut shapes and flowers out of patterned paper and use them as embellishments. It is such a great way to stretch a kit or collection, especially if you are low on coordinating embellishments. 

While it may seem a bit strange to document a cooked turkey, cooking it was a really big deal. My mother is not a good cook. She grew up in the country with fresh eggs and plenty of vegetables, and not a lot of meat. So growing up, whenever I ate chicken or turkey and it was dry, I thought that was how it was supposed to taste. Boy was I wrong, and I am so glad that a friend talked me into taking over the Thanksgiving meal. Here is the recipe in case you want to give it a try, and I will also say that using a fresh and not frozen turkey makes it out of this world. 

The leaf paper clips are one of my favorite embellishments in the kit, so I was super happy that I could include one on this photo. I surprised myself by matting the photo with pink patterned paper, but I found that it really complemented the pink leaves of the flowers and the photo itself.

Last year I found these gold leaves in the Target dollar spot and did not use a single one. They make the perfect addition to this cluster and help to tie in the gold Thickers as well.

My journaling is pretty straightforward, and I may make another page with the actual recipe. I haven't decided though, because I may end up creating a layout on my entire dinner with the recipes used. Decisions, decisions...

My process video is linked below. I encourage you to visit Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog and see how other DT members tackled this challenge. Have a wonderful day!

Reveal Day and Process Video

Today is reveal day for My Creative Scrapbook and the Main kit is full of Amy Tangerine's new collection Oh Happy Life with a few things from Doodlebug and the new Dear Lizzy word Thickers. This kit is so bright and colorful and perfect for both boy and girl pages.

My first layout I created using the border paper as my inspiration. I cut several of the borders apart along with the branding strips of several papers. This makes for an easy and colorful page, and is perfect for using your scraps or the last bits of your kit.

I am trying to be better about taking photos of the little things, and right now this song makes my heart happy. My daughter gets a kick out of watching me dance, sing and drive when this song comes on. I try very hard to embarrass her, but she usually just laughs and dances along with me. Seriously, I cannot sit still when this song comes on!

The kit comes with die cuts that are perfect for these everyday moments. How stinking cute is that owl?! Black stitching adds a bit more detail to the strips and the journaling card. 

 These Dear Lizzy Thickers are perfect for the page. The thickness of the font and the dark color really help it to stand out on the page and hold its own against all the bright colors on the layout.

I'm going to link you up to the process video. Have a wonderful scrappy day and I'll see you soon :)

Stuck?! Sketches Debut

If you have been following me for a while, you know how much I love a good sketch. So I'm thrilled to share with you that I was asked to be on the Stuck?! Sketches Design Team.  Every month Laura puts up two different sketches that you can play along with as well as the chance to win a prize from the month's sponsors. This month our sponsors are:

May Arts Ribbon  Prize = $25.00 gift certificate to their online store.

Heartfelt Creations Prize = $25.00 gift certificate to their online store.

Here's the sketch for October 1st

I stayed fairly true to the sketch but I did change the orientation of the photos. I used my Felicity Jane kit to document these photos of my girl and one of her best friends. I have struggled with documenting her softball pictures because of the uniform colors so when I realized this kit would be perfect with some of these photos it made me love it even more :)

I do plan on adding my journaling underneath the title, but I need to get more printer ink before I print it out. I've added it on my To-Do list of 1001 things...I only exaggerate a wee bit :) The reason that I chose not to hand write my journaling on this layout is that the cardstock is textured, and I hate the bumpy look my journaling gets especially when I have a lot to say on the layout.

The wood veneer alphas are just lovely. I followed the line of the bench to help anchor the title and the paper strips. The title in the sketch was clustered with the bottom photo, but I really liked the way that it looked underneath the top photo.

These rubber charms from the kit are adorable. They are my new favorite embellishments. I want more of these pretty embellishments. Santa, are you listening?

One of my favorite things about the Felicity Jane kits are her stamps. They are amazing quality, the stamped images are crisp, and the variety of shapes and phrases are perfect. I couldn't resist adding this phrase underneath the photo.

I hope that you'll play along with this sketch. Don't forget to link it up on the blog for your chance to win a prize from one of the sponsors. Here's a link to my process video if you'd like to take a peek :)

October Guest Designer for Counterfeit Kit Challenge

This month I am the guest designer for Counterfeit Kit Challenge! Our inspiration is the beautiful new collection Indigo Hills from PinkFresh Studios. If you haven't ever played along with this group, the idea is to pull together a kit from your stash using a kit or collection as the inspiration piece. I chose the pretty blue color in the alphas as my inspiration, however I didn't have anything quite the same shade. So I decided to still use the color blue, just a different hue. Since it is fall and I am ready for cooler weather, I pulled out what I have of Pink Paislee's Cedar Lane collection as the starting point of my kit.

Several of my embellishments were open making it difficult to take good pictures of them, so I am going to list what I included in the kit:

Pink Paislee Cedar Lane 6x6 and 12x12 papers

Pink Paislee Cedar Lane leaf clips

Pink Paislee Cedar Lane ephemera

Pink Paislee Cedar Lane puffy stickers

Pink Paislee Cedar Lane arrows

Pink Paislee Cedar Lane washi tape booklet

Pink Paislee Cedar Lane fabric tags
Jen Hadfield DIY Home stickers

Jen Hadfield DIY Home die cuts

Jen Hadfield DIY Home washi strip booklet

Simple Stories wood veneer

Miscellaneous flair, sequins, and paper clips

Recollections puffy stickers
Studio Calico tile alphas 

tags 

doilies

enamel dots

Here are the Design Team members in case you would like to see what they have chosen for their kits this month. I hope that you play along this month and make your own counterfeit kit!

Lisa: http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de

Lynnette: http://www.sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.com

Susan: http://littlethingsbigdays.blogspot.com

Susanne: http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com

Jemma: http://just-jimjams.blogspot.co.uk

Kelly: http://www.honeysucklehillcrafts.com

Julene: http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com/

Lesley:  Oh! Blog It!

Leslie: http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com