Challenge Submission

Last weekend was the big Birthday Bash celebration at Artful Delight.  Artful Delight celebrated Leeanne's birthday, hosted a great blog hop, introduced the new design team and also offered three great challenges that give you the chance to win AWESOME prizes! The Grand Prize is a 6 month subscription to Artful Delight monthly kits!!

The first challenge was this sketch:

My layout for the sketch:

A Closer look at my Coffee Filter Flower:

The Second Challenge Was This Tic Tac Toe Board:

I used light pink, made a layout, and used a border punch for this page:

(this page needs something, I am just not sure what... I am open to any suggestions!)

and the third challenge:
Use kraft, light pink, and white on a project.

And here is my card:

Fun challenge!

Awesome Dusty Attic Giveaway

Do you like chipboard? (I love what it adds to my pages!) Have you seen this awesome chipboard by Dusty Attic? It's so scrolly and intricate, just gorgeous! Simply Paper is giving some away at her blog, and she sells it in her shop too, check out this awesome chipboard now!

Master Forger's Blog Hop

This month is all about stamping over at the CKCB Challenge Blog, since we are being sponsored by the fantastic Ippity Chick (and a fellow DT member) Sherri . So Beth and Meridy gave us this challenge for the blog hop:

Blog Hop Challenge: Use a stamping technique to create a project. Make sure you make a link to that technique so we can give it a try, too! (Or, if you feel adventurous...make your own tutorial for your favorite stamping technique!)

This is a good challenge for me, since I have tons of stamps that sit around collecting dust most of the time. The technique that I decided to try was Heat Embossed Resist with mists.
Here are some tutorials on how to do it:
http://ideasforscrapbookers.blogspot.com/2011/05/heat-embossing-with-mists.html

http://plkomara.blogspot.com/2010/09/annoucement-and-some-tattered-tags.html

I used this week's fantastic sketch from Sketchy Thursdays:

Here is my layout:

And a closer look at the embossed resist embellie:

I did have stray little bits of embossing powder which I could have brushed off with a paintbrush, but I kind of liked the droplet effect that it gave it, so I left them and heated it with my heat gun as it was.

Supplies used:
Red cardstock with a distressed pattern from GCD Studios, cherry patterned paper from Jenni Bowlin Studios, scraps of leftover papers that I punched into border strips-Basic Grey, Teresa Collins, navy Bazzill, a paper doily that I misted for my September kit,  a file folder cut from kraft cardstock with my Cricut and one of the fabulous Penny Duncan's svg files, Making Memories hinges, Tim Holtz tissue tape, a scrap of red Bazzill Swiss Dots cardstock that I cut into a scalloped shape with an svg file from Susan Blue Robot, and DCWV rub-on Stitching. I used 2 different stamps for my circle embellishment, a grungy dotted circle from a christmas stamp set by Danielle Johnson for Art Warehouse, and the "baby shower" with the umbrella are from a Doodlebug stamp set. I decided to put the other photos in the file folder, because I have put off scrapping them forever-they are all pastelly (what was I thinking, wearing red to a girly baby shower?), so they clashed with my photo- so I hid them ;-p .

Thank you for hopping by my blog! Here is the line-up, be sure to check out the other designers for tons of crafty, stamping inspiration!

                                Guest Designer: Lisa H.

Melissa

Sherri

Kim

Jemma

Margie (you are here)

Susanne (go here next)

Lisa

Gabrielle

Meridy

Sketchy Fun

As you may or may not have noticed, I love sketches!! It takes alot of the "work" and thinking out of scrapping for me, and just allows me to focus on the pictures, the memories,and having fun!  Here are a few more layouts that I made this week using sketches:

Sketch 173 for Creative Scrappers:

My Layout, "Take Time To Smell The Daisies":



Supplies Used (mostly from September Counterfeit Kit):
DCWV yellow grid print from Lemon Flower Stack, scrap of kraft cardstock, Fancy Pants Its The Little Things Border Strips, Sassafrass Lass star sticker,American Crafts Thickers, Cosmo Cricker Tiny Type Letter Stickers

Sketch from Stuck Sketches:

My Layout, "Treasures Of The Heart":

 Close Up Of My Embellishment Cluster:

Supplies Used:
Fores green cardstock, hand punched peach paper lace, Colorbok rose print paper, brown crochet lace ribon, peachy pink Prima flowers, Bazzill button blooms, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, die cut kraft swirl, K&Co rub on

Journaling reads:
"It's hard to believe it's been two years that she's been gone now- and I still miss just calling her with a question, or seeing the way her face lit up when she saw her "Precious", Evan. Photos-September 2010, journaled September 2011."

Sketch from Sassy Lil' Sketches:

My Layout, "Signs Of Spring"

Close Up of the flower cluster:

Supplies Used:
Pink Paislee Vintage Moon patterned cardstock, yellow polka dot leftover scrap from DCWV Lemon Flower Stack, scrap of Teresa Collins black damask, Lily Bee stickers and banner, "Registered" label from Counterfeit Digi Kit (Echo Park For The Record), American Crafts Thickers, Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type, yellow Primas

A Sketch And Inspiration from Stuck On You Sketches (use die cut flowers-the 2 bigger flowers were die cut, the smaller ones were Primas that I layered):

 My Layout, "Blue Eyed Beauty"

Die Cut Flowers:

 Primas:

Supplies Used:
Teresa Collins black and cream damask print, Lily Bee This & That "Milk Bottle"-reverse side, cream shimmer cardstock, American Crafts Thickers, cream Primas, Making Memories rhinestone brad, Echo Park little letter stickers, patterned paper flower, black felt and tulle glittered flower, a tag for journaling tucked away behind the photo, tied with black and white baker's twine, and fastened with a Making Memories vintage brad.

If you made it this far, I commend you!!  Thanks for visiting me today!

Remember This...

One of the layouts that I made the other day is based on this FANTASTIC sketch by Becky Fleck, for this month's Express The Moments Contest:

My Layout:

A Close Up Peek at The Embellies:

Supplies I used:
Cream DCWV cardstock, Basic Grey Origins Patterned papers, kraft cardstock, my coffee filter flower (faux "Bella Bloom"), a decorated fall doily that I recieved in a swap, part of a Colorbok bling circle, American Crafts clear/brown journaling sticker attached to cream cardstock, black AC Thickers, Cosmo Cricket cream and black Tiny Type alpha stickers, tiny green Making Memories painted brads. I cut the title block and mat out with my Cricut and Once Upon A Princess cartridge.

The journaling reads:
"Moments like these are what makes life special! Thank you for this precious memory of my two handsome men! I love to see the love and trust as Evan holds Eric's hand.  St Louis 7/21/2007"

Petal Pick-Up Layout

I was inspired by this awesome sketch from Artful Delight:

Here is my layout:

A Close up Of My Embellishment Cluster:

Supplies I used:

Black And Yellow floral print from DCWV's Lemon Flower Stack (this paper is so gorgeous in person, it has the loveliest glossy/debossed texture), yellow polka dot print from the DCWV Lemon Flower Stack also, black sequined sheer ribbon, Making Memories cream with tiny black polka dot vinyl, Making Memories tiny alphas, silver American Crafts Thickers, yellow Primas, black and white twine-most supplies are taken from my September "Gran's Kitchen"  kit that I put together (you can see it here).

The journaling reads:

"Two of the prettiest flower girls around-picking up the petals from a dropped basket. 8/7/2010"

Thanks for dropping by today-come back tomorrow for another crafty share!

Scrappy Saturday

I had a scrappy kind of day today-I got to make about 5 layouts while my hubby watched college football (I kind of don't mind being a football widow, lol!). I'll share the layouts over the next few days (it will give me something to post everyday, yay!). Today's layout was based on a fun sketch from Pretty Little Studios (they have some awesome vintage style goodies, you should definantly check them out!)I have been watching their sketches for a few weeks, I am stoked that I finally got a chance to play along!

My Layout, "Little Gray Elephant"

A close up peek of my embellishment cluster:

Supplies Used:
Background paper is GCD Studios,  the red cardstock is part of the Colorbok sheet, Echo Park letter and Journaling Ticket Stickers from last month's Birthday Kit, and I used a leftover piece of kraft cardstock, heart shaped chipboard button tied with twine, Sassafrass Lass flower sticker, Making Memories Upholstery brad, orange Jenni Bowlin button, black and white baker's twine, and rub-on stitching from this month's kit. For those cool strips on the side of the page, I used THIS TUTORIAL to make my own "Washi Tape" with Echo Park "For The Record" Borderlines digipaper.

The Journaling Reads:
October 31, 2000
"Wow, how funny it is to look back at Caitlin and her favorite stuffed animal from so long ago!"
journaled 9/2011

Bubble Beauty

Just a Quick share of the page I made for this week's Sketch Inspiration sketch.

The sketch:

Here is my layout:

I will probably add some journaling in the near future, but for now, it is what it is...

All supplies used were from my September Counterfeit Kit ,with the exception of the black Thickers, which came from my August Counterfeit Kit.

Supplies used: patterned cardstock is The Girls Paperie Paper Girl "Green Brocade", I diecut the label shape with my Cricut and SCAL from the cream Co'oredinations Woodgrain Embossed Cardstock, and inked it with a petal shaped Martha Stewart leaf colored ink pad, then added the American Crafts Thickers (I had to get a little creative with the green fabric ones, since I didn't have an "L"-could you tell?), I also used peach and green hand-dyed shabby seam binding, a peach handmade flower ( I made it with the Cricut Mother's Day Bouquet cart), and a green ZVA pearl flourish.

My favorite part about this layout is definantly the photos, since I am really working on improving my photography skills, and I feel like these are some of my more successful attempts.

Giveaway at Going Buggy

The awesome (hilarious!) Enfys at Going Buggy is giving away a set of Promarkers! Check it Out!

Family...

I love my family more than anything else!And I rarely get to scrap photos that I am in, so it was so much fun to scrap this one of my brother,sisters, and me. I was inspired by a couple of challenges for this page: A sketch (#172) from Creative Scrappers, and the challenge from The Paper Variety to "make a monochromatic creation using your favorite color"- my favorite color is blue of all shades (aqua, navy, sea blue, periwinkle (my wedding colors were periwinkle and white), teal, sky....I could go on and on...

This is the way I do monochromatic-a few different shades of the color I am using, mixed in and tempered with a good bit of neutrals (kraft, cream, and black in this case):

Supplies used for this layout:

Lily Bee Designs This&That "Milk Bottle" patterned cardstock,Lily Bee This&That banner stickers, ZVA cream pearl flourish, handmade blue houndstooth (made with Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Uptown Houndstooth digi paper) flower, a sky blue glittered cardstock punchout border from Colorbok's Flea Market Punchout pad, American Crafts puffy black Thickers, scraps of cream shimmer and kraft cardstock, pale aqua pearls from the wedding section at Hobby Lobby, and an ANCIENT quote from one of those DCWV vellum quote stacks (this was one of my earlier scrapbooking obsessions-I loved those stacks-not that I used them much ;-p  ). I mounted the quote on another scrap of the cream shimmer cardstock and inked the edges with Tim Holtz Sapphire Distress Ink, and attached it with pop dots to make it stand out.

Handmade Flower Mini Tutorial:

Here is a closer look at my handmade flower:

For this flower, I first printed out this paper from my Counterfeit digi kit:

I printed it out on 8 1/2 by 11 white cardstock first, then I cut out the 6 pt flower on the Mother's Day Bouquet Cricut Cartridge (last flower on the right, third row down) in several different sizes, starting at 2 3/4, and then stepping down a quarter inch at a time, with the exception of the last one, which is 1/2 to 3/4 smaller than the previous layer. I misted each layer of petals with Sea Glass and Turquoise Glimmer Mist, and then dried with my heat embossing tool. I scrunched and shaped the petals with my fingers (another idea would be to use an icepick or pencil), then glued them on top of one another, offsetting the petals, with my trusty hot glue gun. I put Crystal Stickles on a paintbrush and dabbed it on the edges of the petals and left the flowers alone to dry over night. I really do have to say, this is such a fun way to use those digi papers that you are hoarding!! Try it out-you can even flip the paper over and print on the other side for your own double sided paper!

More Challenges!

While I'm at it, I'll post a couple more layouts I  made for The Paper Variety in the past couple of days.

The first layout is for the challenge: "Use your favorite embellishment (mine is flowers)":

Supplies I used:
DCWV pink cardstock, Making Memories Love Notes "Lace Love Notes",punchout title, word, jornaling spot, and border from Colorbok's Flea market Punch out pad, wooden dowel rod, star shaped Grungeboard that I painted with Picket Fence Crackle Paint, flowers,stick-on pearl, and sheer pink ribbon.

The journaling reads: "Natalie, you made the prettiest Barbie Fairy Princess around!With a sparkling crown that I made just for you, and a wand that lit up, you were all set to grant wishes!"

The second layout is one I did just for me, with some of my favorite photos from my honeymoon:

 Close-Ups:

Supplies I used:
Light green cardstock, Teresa Collins Noel "Sheet Music", Basic Grey Porcelain "Arabella", Making Memories border sticker and small journaling spot, American Crafts Thickers (letters, swirl, scalloped circle) and a Vinyl Music note from AC also, ruched green ribbon, journaling spot from the Colorbok punchout pad, a white paper doily, and a die cut piano from th Stamping Station that I have been saving forever (like 8+ years).

The journaling reads: "A Real Piano Man: Every time I hear the song, "Piano Man", I am reminded of this night on our honeymoon, and ending up here, at Silky O'Sullivans. We sat and listened to music, I drank my first hurricane,and we even had a brush with celebrity, seeing John Mcnamara, and a woman named Suzanne who was in charge of ESPN for the area. One of my favorite honeymoon memories!"

Time for some Scrappy Fun!

I finally got to play with some more of those awesome goodies from August's kit, and I participated in some of the fun challenges I have seen out and aound on the web! Here is the layout that I made, using this week's sketch from My Creative Sketches (a fantastic new sketch blog!). I was also inspired by The Paper Variety's Favorite Things Challenge, "Use Your Favorite Photo" (I love, love, love this photo of my son, it captures his personality so perfectly!).
The Sketch:

My layout, "Special Son":

 A Close Up of One of my Embellishent Clusters:

Suplies I used for this page:
Pink Paislee Butterfly Gardens "Dew Drops", a white paper Doily (Wiltons), punch out borders, journaling card, letters (brown), and word "Special" from the Colorbok Flea Market punch out pad, a Prima flower, a Spare Parts Antique Flower brad, a brown button and Bazzill brown corduroy button Flower from my September kit, and the remainder of a brown ZVA crystal flourish.

The journaling reads:
"Evan- I just love this photo that Nicole took of you the day before Mother's Day. You eyes are windows to your sweet spirit. Love you!   May 2011"

Thank you for visiting!

It's That Time Again!

Time for a new Counterfeit Kit!! And this month, Meridy and Beth have chosen a "Peach" of a kit for us to be inspired by! They chose the kit from September 2010 from the Sweet Peach Crop Shop. I counterfeited all of the September 2010 kits, and was most inspired by the "Juicy" themed kit. Here are my takes on the kits.

Sweet Peach Crop Shop's September Main Kit:

And here is my "counterfeit", "Moonlight Garden" :

And here is a peek at the flowers that I handmade for my kit, using scraps of peach cardstock, and the blue chevron and houndstooth papers from my Counterfeit Digi Kit (below):

Papers In My Kit:
Forest green Bazzill cardstock
Cream shimmer Wasau Cardstock (2 sheets)
Spring green  textured DCWV cardstock
Midnight blue smooth cardstock
Neptune blue textured DCWV cardstock
4 patterned sheets from the Colorbok Rosewood Stack
Basic Grey Lime Rickey "Blue Moon"
Scenic Route "Brighton Snowdrift"
Lily Bee Designs This&That "Milk Bottle"
The Girl's Paperie Paper Girl "Vintage Patchwork" (B side)
Daisy D's "Gypsy Paisley-Indigo"
The Girl's Paperie Paper Girl "Green Brocade"
Sassafrass Lass "Headphones On"
Sassafrass Lass Cherry Delicious "Winsome"
Pink Paislee Vintage Moon "Moon Glade"


Embellishments:
American Crafts Thickers Poolside glitter foam letters
DCWV Rub-On Stitching Curly Q
hand punched peach paper lace
peach and spring green hand dyed shabby seam binding
handmade flowers
Making Memories metal ribbon sliders
Offray Rhinestone ribbon slides
white slider box
Spare Parts gemstone flower brad
My Mind's Eye Mabel "So Sweet" buttons
Making Memories copper upholstery brads
"happy" die cut word
Tim Holtz Symphony Tissue Tape

The Sweet Peach "Juicy" Themed kit:

Here is my Counterfeit Kit, "Gran's Kitchen",

A closer look at my handmade flowers and mini banners, mostly received in swap on 2 Peas:

Papers:
Kraft Cardstock (2 sheets)
Cream textured DCWV cardstock (2 sheets)
Echo Park Life Is Good "Set The Table"
Yellow crisscross print from DCWV Lemon Flower Stack
Fancy Pants It's The Little Thing "ILT Strips"
We R Memory Keepers Boho Chic Fancy Free
Light green damask print from DCWV Lemon Flower Stack
Frances Meyer black with tan stripe
Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety "Sweet Pea"
Creative Imaginations green chevron print
Jenni Bowlin Studios Clothesline
Making Memories Cream with black dots vinyl
Co'oredinations woodgrain embossed cardstock
Little Yellow Bicycle Autumn Bliss "Sweater"
Black, gray, and yellow glazed floral print from DCWV Lemon Flower Stack

Embellishments:
Lily Bee This& That Stickers
Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type letters in cream/black
Making Memories Tiny Alphas black on white
handmade mini banners, doilies, and flowers from 2 Peas Swaps
die cut letters from Kraft cardstock that I "corrugated" myself
2 ZVA cream pearl flourishes
Offray cream ribbon flowers
red and black baker's twine
vintage ephemera cards
bird buttons from Incomparable Buttons
yellow Fiskars Zingz (look like rain drops)
jute yarn/twine
ruffled red/white gingham ribbon
sheer black sequined ribbon
cream crochet doily
assorted buttons, chipboard and regular
chipboard frame and photo corners (Basic Grey)
leftover bottlecaps
brown Bazzil Buttons and Blossoms

Here Is The Sweet Peach's September 2010 Paper Add-On Kit:

And Here Is Mine:

And The Sweet Peach's Embellishment Add-On Kit:

Mine:

I grabbed some scraps and partially used letter stickers for this one, and made my own "Bella Blooms" (with coffee filters, yellow homemade shimmer mist, a heart punch, and a pearl brad). I also misted some plain white doilies, and die cut some flourishes with kraft paper and my Cricut.

And last but not least, I wanted to switch it up a bit this month, so I put together a "Counterfeit Digi Kit", mostly based on the colors from my Juicy themed kit.

My September Counterfeit Digi Kit:
Papers:

Elements:

I can't wait to get started playing with all of these yummy goodies, and sharing with you all!