Cute Little Bird

  What a unique problem I had this morning ... I couldn't photograph my latest layout outside because it was too SUNNY! Hooray! People always joke that there are only two seasons here in Montana, and one of them lasts nine months, so when that spring sunshine peeks through the clouds we all throw on our shorts and  sunglasses and head outside!

  The March kit from My Creative Scrapbook was so cute that it isn't spending any time in my stash before being cut apart and loved on. I had to use it NOW! The springy colors in the Dear Lizzy collection are so perfect for some baby pictures I found that I've never scrapped, and I'm sure you'll soon be seeing lots and lots of layouts with this kit.

Here the March sketch from My Creative Sketches:

Here's my take on the sketch:

Doesn't the sweetness of this collection just make you a little giddy? 

I punched my floral paper with a Martha Steward punch around the page and then cut out the center with my AWESOME new Stampin' Up cutter to make a frame. I had tons of fun experimenting with the different layers of patterned paper behind my photo! I embossed the little squares for added texture and spritzed the background with Blushing Bride and the Prima mask included in the kit.

These little Prima wood pieces just make my heart skip a beat. :) My new pinwheel die from Stampin' Up had to make an appearance on this springy page too!

The little clipboards from the paper collection make perfect journaling tags! This one slips behind my main photo.

I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friends, and I hope spring has sprung wherever you are! (Even if it's only temporary!) :)

Once Upon a Sketch March Challenge

  Hi, everyone! I spent a lovely Saturday morning playing with Once Upon a Sketch's March challenge with the theme of "The Weekend." I had enough paper and goodies left from my Prima Zephyr collection to do one more layout, and I found this bright and colorful photo of my daughter with nice coordinating colors. Sometimes things just come together!

Here's the sketch:

Here's my take:

This photo was taken during the weekend of our local summer arts festival. We were sitting and watching my other daughter and my sister walk with the Corgi Club. Watching the Sweet Pea parade is one of our big summer highlights every year.

I turned the sketch sideways for my interpretation because my photo was vertical and quite large. I layered on a Prima chipboard piece, flowers, and wood pieces from the collection along with some doilies from my stash. I stapled on some cute little banners and Stickled some of the flourishes around the page. My journaling is on the back side of the page to give me plenty of space.

This collection puts me in such a summery mood. I have to admit that when it first came in my My Creative Scrapbook kit of the month, I felt a little out of my element. I tend to have a hard time scrapping with blue, and this collection had tons of it. In the end I found that I created some pages with it that I like very much ... probably because I felt no need to covet it and just felt free to experiment. 

Here are my other Prima Zephyr creations:

Just goes to show that it's good to challenge ourselves, even in our scrapbooking. Have a lovely rest of the weekend, my friends!

XOXOXO

  Hi, friends! Yesterday I spent a fun crafty afternoon with my sister and the girls, and we each accomplished a page for a challenge we were working on! Amazing! We hardly ever travel during school breaks, so for us these little respites are so renewing and rejuvenating. The snow is almost melted in the yard, the weather is warm, and it almost feels like spring here in Montana!

  I decided to work on a layout for a new challenge blog I've started visiting called "Scrap Your Story." The challenge this week was animals, so I pulled out this cute picture of Sophia with our cat, an adorable, extremely naughty Devon Rex named Neo. (As in Neopolitan ice cream, although he's usually referred to as "crazy kitty" or just "NO!") Despite his hard-headedness, he's been a fun addition to our family.

 I used the Crate Paper "Paper Hearts" collection for this layout, along with some vintage sheet music, the punch outs and sticker sheet from the collection, Prima flowers, Tim Holtz playing cards, Liquid Pearls, and Recollections gem flourishes. The journaling is hidden on the tag above the photo. I used my tiny attacher to staple some little banners in the upper right corner, and curled up a few edges of my background paper with spray ink. 

 I hope the animals (human and non) in your life bring you joy today! Thanks for stopping by, my friends!