Once Upon a Sketch September Challenge #4

     I have to admit I was a little overwhelmed by the challenges at Once Upon a Sketch this month. I wasn't sure I could manage to create something that met all the fun requirements that the Color Stories challenges introduced, but I decided to give it a try this week. Guess what? It was a blast! 

  For the challenge this week, we had to use the sketch, all the colors in the scheme, two items from the evidence and one item from the testimony. I realized that my Prima Zephyr papers already contained all the colors in the scheme, so all I had to do was choose my photo and get creating! 

I chose to use a page from a vintage music book and wings from the evidence, and I used the inspiration words from the testimony to title my page, "The Years Fly."

I used a lot of fussy cut flowers from the collection  and layered them with dimensionals to add some height to the right corner of my page. Some Prima flowers, a chipboard sticker from the paper collection, and Tim Holtz wings added some more loveliness. I finally invested in my first bottle of perfect pearls (what took me so long?), and I stamped a flourish in matching blue ink and used the shape as a guide to create my pearl swirls. 

I adore the wood accents that match this collection, so I used a couple of those in the upper left corner. I thought the clock was a fitting addition to the theme of the page too.

Once Upon a Sketch challenges always include journaling (one reason I love them so much), so I used a tag from the collection that tucks behind my photo mat.

  I had so much fun playing along with this challenge! I enjoyed looking at the summery Zephyr colors while watching the snow fall here in lovely Montana. I hope you have a wonderful week, my friends!

Mojo Monday #260

     Hi, friends! This week I've been on a mission to make some cards for my sweet auntie who visited recently and was so supportive of my crafting. Every time I see her and my uncle I wish they lived closer so we could spend more time together.(Quite often I wish we all lived in Europe so we could drive just a few hours to see each other instead of days!)

     I wanted to make a thank you card for her to show my appreciation for her deep dive into my craft box. I love it when my work is appreciated like that! I would gladly give it away, but, being my auntie, she wouldn't let me do that. :) I decided to use the Mojo Monday sketch this week as a guide.

And here's my take on the sketch using cute little Wryn from Tiddly Inks:

  I used paper from Stampin' Up (First Edition and Everyday Enchantment DSP), Spellbinder's Dies, and a paper button I made to match with the Buttons #5 Sizzlits die. I'm going to be doing that a lot since the buttons look totally authentic, always match, and can be made much thinner than the plastic variety! I used this tutorial: 

     You know what else is awesome? How much my daughters love to craft with me. Last week Sophia played along with the Mojo Monday sketch and came up with this cute creation:

What a fun hobby to share! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Sketchbook365: October Sketch Challenge

     I've had so much fun in my craft room lately! This weekend I started a really fun Christmas mini album for a class I'll be hosting in November. I'm in full scrapping gear right now (a crafty play date with my sister always helps), and I finished another fun layout for one of my new favorite sites, Sketchbook 365. I found this site after picking up a copy of my absolute favorite scrapping magazine, Scrap 365, at Barnes and Noble. This publication is a little hard to find in my corner of the U.S., but I always keep my eyes open for it because I love so many of the projects and designers they feature. 

     Anyway, here's the sketch challenge for this month designed by  Siân Fair:

     Here's my take on the challenge:

     I used lots of Bo Bunny Country Garden goodies on this layout, Prima packaging for the banner, and the Everything Eleanor stamp set from Stampin' Up to add a few details. These are some of my favorite photos of my daughters taken by a good friend of mine in a lovely spot just a few miles from our house. 

     Can I just reflect on what a wonderful hobby scrapbooking is for just a moment? I was one of those people who used to think scrapping was just for frumpy soccer moms (like mini vans and mom jeans.) Now every time my girls see my latest creation and read what I've written with a big smile on their faces it's reinforced to me that this hobby an amazing way to make other people in your life feel loved and cherished. There's nothing I want more than that!

     Have a wonderful day, my friends! Thanks for visiting!

10 Years

     This month has been a little bittersweet for me. My twin girls turned 10 earlier this month, and this feels like such a huge milestone. They've changed so much so fast that I wish the world could just spin a little more slowly. I find myself stuck in a little nostalgia, remembering all those sweet little girl days while loving every minute of what life brings every day.

     I found this sweet photo of my daughter taken in our front yard so many years ago, and even though I've scrapped it over and over, her perfection always takes my breath away. The gorgeous colors in the September kit at My Creative Scrapbook and the sketch My Creative Sketches blog just seemed perfect to capture the glorious day this picture was taken on, with the roses in full bloom and the sun smiling down. I can't believe it's been 10 years.

I fussy cut a few of these bright and cheerful flowers from Prima's Zephyr collection just to add a bit more detail to my journaling spot. I layered my elements over vintage dictionary print and added a layer of vintage sheet music under my photo. 

(Is it just me, or is the word "Beginnings" misspelled on this chipboard sticker? Perhaps it's just the very freehand style of the cursive that tricks my eye.)

I love all the wood elements that came with this collection! The colors are just so sweet and summery!

Here's the fun sketch this layout is based on:

     I hope the last days of summer are hanging on wherever you may be, and I hope you're spending them with the ones you love. Thanks for stopping by today, my friends!

Christmas Card Binge

     I'm on a mission to use up some scraps and get started early on my Christmas cards this year. I'm sad to finish up the last goodies in the Echo Park collection from last winter. I love that paper! (If I could remember the name of the collection I would tell you, but it has escaped me.) I always leave my holiday cards until the last minute and have to mass-produce a simpler design, which sort of takes the fun out of creativity my view. 

 Here are a few things I've been up to this week:

I love this chipboard sticker Santa! He's so jolly and cute!!

  I love all the stickers included in this collection! There was a great selection of card and scrapbook-appropriate designs. I admit it, I'm mostly just a huge fan of the retro feel and bright, traditional colors. I'm a sucker for red and green!

  I'm off for tonight, my friends. Thanks for visiting!

Mojo Monday 258

     Look at me creating up a storm today! My delightful kitty snuggled me awake this morning at 5 am, which I wasn't too thrilled about, but sometimes I like to get up before everyone else, put the coffee on, tune in to NPR news, and get crafty before the demands for weekend breakfast start pouring in. (Easy breakfast like cereal is illegal in our house on the weekends, at least in the eyes of my daughters. Pancakes or bust!) Of course, this naughty fella has to follow me around and help with the creative process:

     This morning I logged onto Mojo Monday and found this delightful sketch:

   I thought it was such a neat one that I better play along before I lost my steam, which usually happens around 10 am, even with copious amounts of coffee.

   For this card I used a Crumb Cake base (Stampin' Up), along with some scraps from my Graphic 45 ABC Primer paper collection. The wood buttons are from Stampin' Up, and the little chippie star is actually from the Echo Park Christmas collection I had out already. The inside reads, "What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?" I thought it might be a fun card just to write a little note in to brighten someone's day. 

Well, I'm really out for the day this time! Have a lovely Saturday, everyone!     

CPS 282

     Hi, friends! I'm getting my mojo back after a very unsuccessful craft show last weekend. I was disappointed in my one or two sales (although I was very grateful for those!) I did meet some nice people and got to hang out with my sister for the afternoon, which is always fun! I had to remind myself that I'm not doing these fun little projects to make money but because I just love to make stuff!

     I decided to play along with the sketch at CPS this morning to get in the spirit of things again, and since Christmas always sneaks up and pounces on me unprepared, I'll be doing a lot of Christmas cards in the near future.

     Here was the CPS sketch for the week:

     And here's my take on the sketch:

     I used scraps from my favorite Echo Park Christmas collection, some goodies from the sticker sheet, and some twine and crochet lace. I'm loving how you can use Copic markers to color on white pearls!!

     I hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friends! I'm off to make a decadent potato casserole for a gathering with with some friends and my fabulous auntie and uncle who are visiting from far away. See you soon!

Use What You Have #5

     Today I'd like to share another card using Stampin' Up products from my stash to recreate a published design. The inspiration for this card comes from the Paper Crafts Card Design Handbook, an awesome publication with lots of great design tips. 

     Cristina Kowalczyk created a gorgeous card on page 22 in the section on Movement and Flow. She used leaves stamped off the edge of her design to create the feeling of movement. Here's my take on her idea:

     I used the French Foliage and Day of Gratitude stamp sets and the Travel Journal builder wheel from Stampin' Up with Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Old Olive,  Soft Suede, and Basic Gray ink to create this card. This card was quick and simple to create, but these stamps create a lovely effect!

     I hope you'll be inspired to use what you have in creative ways! Thanks for stopping by today!

French Foliage Thanks

     I've been having so much fun with the French Foliage stamp set I got at our last Stampin' Club meeting! These leaves are just SO beautiful and realistic, the backgrounds are beautiful, and they coordinate with a lot of SU's other sets. Super fun!

     Here's a quick and easy card I made with some inspiration from Splitcoast Stampers. (Sorry I can't credit someone with the original idea.) I used all the stamps in the set and the new Comfort Cafe DSP. LOVE!

     Summer here has been hot and dry, so there are a number of serious forest fires going on in our area right now. We're hoping for some autumn rain and relief from the smoke really soon! Thanks for stopping by, my friends!

CPS 280

     Hi, friends! I had fun this week working on a lot of challenges. It's my last week of summer vacation, so what better way to spend it than sitting at my craft table? (I also did some productive things like organizing the kitchen cabinets, cleaning out my piano studio, etc.) Yesterday I decided to play along with the CPS sketch challenge for the week because I have an adorable new digi stamp from Wee Stamps. Isn't little Holly the cutest thing ever? I also used a bunch of Echo Park scraps from my stash. I'll be sad to use this paper up!

     Anyway, here's the sketch:

And here's my take on it:

     I had lots of fun with this card, and I hope you're having a crafty week as well! I'm off to do a little birthday shopping for my girlies who turn 10 on Monday. I can't believe it!