Summer Vibes - Sketch N Scrap's May Challenge #1

Hello, hello! Happy Thursday to you! I hope that you are having a good day. 

 If you haven't heard - Sketch N Scrap is turning 12 this month and we are celebrating all month long. Every Tuesday and Thursday of the month, the design team will be providing a challenge for you to try over in our private Facebook group, and today is the first one! I was tasked with the first challenge. My challenge to you is to use the following sketch to create your layout - AND - you must add at least one heart to your layout. Here is the sketch that I chose:

This sketch is from May 2018 and it is one of my favorites! Here is my layout:

For this layout, I have used photos of Miss Ada when they went to Florida a couple of years ago and my Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash kit for May. The colors in my kit were a good match to the colors in Ada's swimsuit. I didn't have any beachy-themed items in my kit, but I didn't worry about that and I just used what I did have in my kit that would work. These pictures will be documented elsewhere and I can use all the beach things then.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I am so glad that our focus item this month for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash was flowers, and I am so glad that I found these paper flowers from Close To My Heart in my stash. I probably would have never thought to use flowers on this layout otherwise. I thought the yellow flowers were giving out a sunshine vibe.

My challenge was to use at least one heart on your layout and I added a few stamped hearts around my layout. The heart stamp is from the Simple Stories Life Captured stamp set. It's always scary to stamp directly on your layout, and I did have a little oopsie, but I just added a couple more flowers to cover it up!

For part of my title, I used the alpha stickers that I had in my kit. I wanted to use different font styles for the two words so I dug in my stash and found the perfect smaller black alphas. It always feels good to show some of those older supplies some love.

Head on over to the Sketch N Scrap Monthly Challenges group on Facebook to check out all of the fun that is going on this month.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! Have a great day!

Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash May Kit Challenge

Hello, hello! Happy May 1st! This year is moving right along! Summer is almost here and I am so ready for it!

** Before we get down to business, I just want to give a big shout-out to Brandi for playing along with us! Brandi creates such fun kits and her layouts are so cute! Check her out on Instagram - scrappy.boymama **

The new month means it is time for a new Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash kit challenge. What does that mean, you ask? Here is a little info on this challenge -  on the 1st of each month, we will post a challenge prompt and the stash kit we have created using that prompt. During the month we will try to use as much of our stash kit as possible on different projects. 

This will be a just-for-fun challenge so there is no monthly prize - but the real prize is using up our stash! We hope you will join us in our quest to bash our stash! If you play along - link up on either my blog or Lisa's blog (or both if you choose) so that we can see who is joining us each month.

Here is May's recipe:

To create your kit, pull 10 papers, 3-4 embellishments, 5-7 scrap papers. Our focus item for May is flowers.

Here is my kit for May:

My kit for May is filled with pieces of the newer Echo Park 'Telling Our Story' collection and papers from Simple Stories 'Hey Crafty Girl' collection from 2019. The colors, and even the flowers, in these two collections work perfectly together.

Here's a look at the papers:

Since our focus item this month is flowers - I picked quite a few floral papers for my kit. Some of the larger flowers could be fussy cut if I need more flowers. I love the colors in these papers and the overall theme of the Telling Our Story collection.

The "b" sides are equally pretty and there's a good chance I will use some of the "b" sides, as well. Here is a look at the "b" sides:

I added the cut-apart papers so I can finally get the title page made for my 2024 Project Life album. Here are the cut-apart papers:

Here are the embellishments:

I added in all of the embellishments that I have from the Telling Our Story collection. I moved the puffy word stickers, wood veneer, and word stickers from last month's kit to this month's. Surely I will get some of it used this month! I added another 12x12 sticker sheet for the alphabet. I came across it when I was looking for the 12x12 Hey Crafty Girl sticker sheet and it was the right shade of pink, so I tossed it in my kit. I never did find the Hey Crafty Girl stickers. I will have to dig deeper or go through old kits to find them. When I do, I will add them to my kit.

Here are the scraps that I pulled:

Our focus item for May is flowers. I found a few of these old guys hanging out in my stash. I don't use these types of flowers on my layouts much anymore, so it will be fun to see if I can get a few of them used:

This year one of my goals is to use my stamps more and here are the stamps I pulled for May:

I chose these stamps mainly for the florals but if I can use a sentiment or saying - even better!

I am ready to dive in and play with my kit this month! With National Scrapbooking Day and Sketch N Scrap's 12th Birthday Celebration happening this month, I am sure to get some good use out of this kit!

Be sure to stop by Lisa's blog - My Creative Endeavors - to see the beautiful kit that she has put together. I always love to see her kits!

Don't forget - this is a just-for-fun challenge, but if you do play along and put together your own stash bash kit - add it to the linky below and we will be sure to check it out and cheer you on! Here are the rules:

1. Follow the challenge prompt to create a kit to work with throughout the month. You may use other items, but please concentrate on using your kit, and link it below.

2. Create new, not previously posted projects using your stash kit.

3. If you have a blog - please include the challenge graphic and a link to our challenge in your posts. 

4. You may link to social media if you don't have a blog. If you share on Instagram, please make sure to use - #lisaandlorisgreatstashbash2024

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Little Joys - Sketch N Scrap Smaller Format Sketch

Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend is off to a good start. We are having a much-needed break from the rain today and crossing our fingers that the storms that are supposed to move in tonight weaken before they get here!

Today I am sharing the layout I made for Sketch N Scrap's Challenge #5. This is a smaller format sketch that is shared in Sketch N Scrap Monthly Challenges private Facebook group. Here is a look at the sketch:

And here is my layout:

I used this sketch to make a traveler's notebook layout. Well, I guess this could be considered a traveler's notebook layout. The dimensions are a tad bigger than the traditional size. This one measures 5.75x8.25, so almost 6x8. I found this notebook at Walmart for $1 and wanted to give it a try. The bigger size allowed me to use a little bit bigger photos than I would have used on a smaller size. 

For this layout, I used my Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash kit for April! I am so happy that I finally used this kit! Most of this layout was made using Echo Park's Our Story Matters collection.

The photos are of Ada flying a kite that I picked up for her on spring break. It was hard for us to find a day when the wind was just right. It's been so windy this spring. Like 30-40 mph winds consistently for days. We finally got a not-to-windy day and took advantage of it. We all went out - even Shane - and took a turn at flying the kites. There is something so relaxing about flying a kite!

Here are a few close-ups:

The title came from the sticker book from this collection. 

I used a view master reel that I die-cut from one of the papers in the collection as my cluster base. I added a couple of die-cuts and a sticker to finish this cluster off.

I added the date to this small cluster to bring a bit of black to the cluster.

I'm still sticking with my goal of using at least one stamp on my layouts. I stamped 'Best Day Ever' in black at the bottom of the page to add another punch of black to the layout. I finished off the area with a couple of enamel dots. 

I added hidden journaling behind the photo on the left side of the layout. 

Be sure to stop by Sketch N Scrap for more inspiration using our sketches. Stop by and visit our private Facebook group, too! We would love to see your beautiful creations!

Don't forget - we are getting ready to celebrate Sketch N Scrap's 12th Birthday in May! 12 years of free sketches for your enjoyment! I do hope you join us all month long for the celebration. We will have our regular sketches on the 1st, 5th, 15th, and 20th, a new - exclusive sketch to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day, 3 new - exclusive birthday bash sketches every Saturday starting on the 11th, and we will be having challenges every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the month! Be sure to join our Sketch N Scrap Monthly Challenges Facebook group so you don't miss out on the fun!

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #263

Hello, hello! Happy Sunday to you! I hope that you are having a good weekend. We have had a beautiful weekend with lots of sunshine and warm - upper 70s - temperatures. I am so ready for summer!

Today I am sharing the card that I created for Sketch N Scrap's April 5th card sketch. Here's a look at the fun sketch that Lisa created for us to use:

I needed a birthday card for later in the week, so that is what I used this sketch for. I went searching in my stash for some birthday papers and stickers and realized that I did not have much in the way of those. I did find Echo Park's Birthday Wishes (Girl) collection, so I pulled it out and went to work. I opted to use the tag sticker from the sticker sheet instead of a circular element. I went ahead and stamped "Happy Birthday" using Echo Park's A Birthday Wish stamp set, even though the tag has a sentiment on it. I outlined all of the papers with Tim Holtz Black Soot distress ink to give them a bit of definition.

I love this sketch and I know I will be using it again soon! Next time I will definitely use a circular element!

Just a quick FYI - we are getting ready to celebrate Sketch N Scrap's 12th Birthday in May! 12 years of free sketches for your enjoyment! I do hope you join us all month long for the celebration. We will have our regular sketches on the 1st, 5th, 15th, and 20th, a new - exclusive sketch to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day, 3 new - exclusive birthday bash sketches every Saturday starting on the 11th, and we will be having challenges every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the month! Be sure to join our Sketch N Scrap Monthly Challenges Facebook group so you don't miss out on the fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash April Kit Reveal

Hello, everyone! Happy April 1st to you! I hope that all who celebrate Easter had a good holiday weekend. We had a busy week leading up to the holiday with everyone being on spring break. We worked on clearing out the fence row, cleaning out our shed, and working on Abby and Ada's yard. I love spending time with my family.

The first of the month means it is time for a new Lisa & Lori's Great Stash challenge. Once again, I did not get much of anything made with last month's kit. Here's hoping this month will be better. I am working on a list of projects that I want to work on/complete in hopes that it will help to get my scrappy mojo back.

 If you don't know what this challenge is, here is a little about it:

 On the 1st of each month, we will post a challenge prompt and the stash kit we have created using that prompt. During the month we will try to use as much of our stash kit as possible on different projects. 

This will be a just-for-fun challenge so there is no monthly prize - but isn't the real prize using up our stash?  We hope you will join us in our quest to bash our stash! If you play along - link up on either my blog or Lisa's blog (or both if you choose) so that we can see who is joining us each month.

Here is April's recipe:

To create your kit, pull 10 papers, 3-4 embellishments, 5-7 scrap papers. Our focus item for April is tags.

Here is my kit for April:

For this month's kit, I have pulled Echo Park's Our Story Matters collection. I thought the colors in this collection would work well with spring/easter/everyday photos. 

Here's a closer look at the papers in my kit:

And since I love both sides of all of the papers, here is a look at the "B" side of the papers:

Here are the embellishments that I have pulled:

I have pulled the 12x12 sticker sheet, the sticker book, ephemera packs, and enamel dots from the collection, puffy word stickers from Felicity Jane, word stickers from Jillibean Soup, and wood veneer pieces from Elle's Studio and Recollections. 

I am keeping the same batch of scraps that I included in my March kit. Most of the colors match well with this month's kit and since I didn't touch them last month, I am giving them another chance this month.

Our focus item for April is tags and here is what I pulled:

This collection has a few different tags in it, and then I also pulled four tags from Simple Stories that have been hanging out since I pulled them for my bashket last year. I would love to get them used his month.

In keeping with my goal to use my stamps this year, here are the stamps that I pulled for this month:

 Most I pulled for the sentiments/phrases and I did include a tag stamp set, too. Maybe I can get it inked up this month!

That's it for my kit this month. Now if I can just get scrappy this month!

Be sure to stop by Lisa's blog - My Creative Endeavors - to see the beautiful kit that she has put together. I always love to see her kits!

Don't forget - this is a just-for-fun challenge, but if you do play along and put together your own stash bash kit - add it to the linky below and we will be sure to check it out and cheer you on! Here are the rules:

1. Follow the challenge prompt to create a kit to work with throughout the month. You may use other items, but please concentrate on using your kit, and link it below.

2. Create new, not previously posted projects using your stash kit.

3. If you have a blog - please include the challenge graphic and a link to our challenge in your posts. 

4. You may link to social media if you don't have a blog. If you share on Instagram, please make sure to use - #lisaandlorisgreatstashbash2024

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Love Notes - Sketch N Scrap #293

 Hello, hello! Happy Sunday and Happy St. Patty's Day to you! I hope you are having a good weekend. 

Today I am sharing the layout that I created using Sketch N Scrap's March 15th sketch - designed by me! Here is a look at the sketch:

And here is my layout:

I just recently purchased the Love Notes collection from Echo Park and couldn't wait to put it to use. I love the pink/red/light blue color combo in this collection, and there are only a few papers that are heavy on the love/Valentine's Day theme - the majority can be used for anything. Anyway, this collection was perfect for these photos of the most recent love notes that Ada has left for me on my desk in my craft room. These little notes always bring a smile to my face - no matter what kind of day I am having!

Here are a few close-ups:

I die-cut a few different-sized hearts for this cluster base. I picked a few stickers all related to "notes" to use on this layout. I inked the edges of all of my papers, since the majority of them were on the lighter side, to help them stand out against the white background. 

For my title, I used the Lawn Fawn Henry's ABC metal dies and then inked around the edges. I tore my cardstock background in three places and added the red heart pattern paper behind it. I always like the effect of this but hardly ever remember to do it.

One of my goals this year is to stamp on my projects - even if it is just one stamp. I pulled out my roller stamps and stamped the XOXO in each of the clusters. I really love the look that adding a stamp gives to my layouts.

Head on over to Sketch N Scrap to see the sketch and the lovely layouts from the design team. I would love to see your take on the sketch, too!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

Hello Sunshine - A Layout and a Card For Sketch N Scrap

Hello, everyone! Happy Thursday to you! It is almost the weekend and I am ready for it! We are finally getting some much-needed rain today, and I thought it was a good time to get a couple of projects posted that I have made this month. 

First up is the layout that I made using the March 1st sketch from Sketch N Scrap. Here is a look at the sketch:

And here is my layout:

For this layout, I finally got around to using the Cocoa Vanilla Happy Days mini-kit that I put together for my January kit for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash! It just took me two months, but I finally used some of it! 

These pictures are of Ada from two years ago. I love that Google Photos will send you notifications like - "two years ago today" or "similar shots" - sometimes it reminds me of photos that I had forgotten about. That was the case with these photos, and, my goodness, how things have changed in two years for this girl! That may be a whole different layout - a comparison of then and now. Like, she no longer likes to have pictures or words on her shirts - with only a few exceptions. She likes mostly just plain, solid-colored shirts now. She used to wear those Ugg-like boots in the wintertime - now it's all about Vans and Converse. She is definitely finding her own style!

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I had to pull in some black alphas to stand out against the background. The ones included in my kit were white with a black outline and they just got lost on the white background.

I didn't do too much in the way of embellishing. Having so many patterns on this layout makes it a bit busy for me and I didn't want it feeling even more busy and cluttered with a bunch of embellishments. 

I was a bit limited with the puffy sticker shapes but went with what I had. I could have pulled in enamel dots but I really just wanted to stick with what was in my kit.

Next up is the card that I made using the March 5th card sketch from Sketch N Scrap. Here is a look at the sketch:

And here is my card:

Easter is just around the corner and I wanted to make an Easter card to send to someone special. For this card, I use Simple Stories' Hip Hop Hooray 6x8 paper pad and die cuts. I couldn't find a "Happy Easter" sentiment in my stamps so I found I font I liked on the computer and printed it off onto a label. 

I love the rounded edges on the top layer on the sketch. I really need to remember to round the corners on both my cards and my layouts a little more often. It just adds a bit of interest and breaks up all of the sharp edges.

That is it for today! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash March Kit Reveal

Hello, everyone! Happy Friday and Happy March 1st! Yay for March - the month when there seem to be more warm days than cold! Since it is the first day of a new month, that means I have a new kit to share for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash!

Before I get to my kit, I will let you know that I was not successful in using my February kit, but I did use up a bit more of my January kit! I am keeping my fingers crossed that you will see me using my March kit this month and maybe I'll even be able to dive into my February kit and see if I can't get something made with it.

If you don't know what this challenge is, here is a little about it:

 On the 1st of each month, we will post a challenge prompt and the stash kit we have created using that prompt. During the month we will try to use as much of our stash kit as possible on different projects. 

This will be a just-for-fun challenge so there is no monthly prize - but isn't the real prize using up our stash?  We hope you will join us in our quest to bash our stash! If you play along - link up on either my blog or Lisa's blog (or both if you choose) so that we can see who is joining us each month.

Here is the recipe for March:

To create your kit, pull 10 papers, 3-4 embellishments, 5-7 scrap papers. Our focus item for March is ephemera!

Here is my kit for March:

February was an unseasonably warm month for us and that has me feeling all of the spring vibes, and I think my kit reflects that! Let's take a close look.

Here are my papers:

I have a mix of papers from Echo Park's New Day collection and the Day in the Life collection. I am lovin' the color palette from these two collections and they work really well with each other. I included four cut-apart papers because I am determined to work on my Project Life albums more this year. I have been doing pretty decent with keeping (somewhat) up so far with this year. Now, if I can just get fast enough to not only work on the current stuff but maybe throw in a previous year or two along the way. That would make me really happy! So, you can expect to see more of those cut-apart papers in my kits this year.

Here are the cut-apart papers from New Day. I have included them, too:

Here are the embellishments:

I have included the 12x12 sticker sheets and enamel dots from both collections, the ephemera packs and sticker book, and puffy stickers from New Day, a few random enamel shapes and puffy dots, two packs of wood veneer - a set from Elles Studio and a pack from Recollections - and a pack of cork pieces from Elles Studio.

Here are the scraps that I pulled:

I pulled a few more than the 5-7 scraps, but a lot of them are pretty small pieces and I thought they might be good to punch out shapes or to use my metal dies with.

Our focus piece for March is ephemera, so along with the ephemera from the collections, I pulled this:

I have pulled a couple of packs of ephemera pieces that were in my bashket last year and one of my boxes of Vicki Boutin ephemera. It is overflowing and I can just barely get it to close! I think there are either five or six packs of ephemera in there! I think I bought a few packs from Tuesday Morning before they closed and then I found a deal from Peachy Cheap a while back that was all Vicki Boutin ephemera packs, so it added up pretty quickly. There are a lot of pieces that color match really well with my kit. Even if I only use a few pieces I will be happy with that. I least I got them out and familiarized myself with what is in the box.

One of my goals this year is to use my stamps more, so here are a few stamps that I pulled to use this month:

I have pulled a variety of spring-themed stamps and everyday-type stamps for this month. I am hoping to put a few of these to use this month.

That is it! I can't wait to dive in and create with my kit! My plan is to mostly use this kit on my PL layouts and for my traveler's notebook layouts, but we will see, a 12x12 layout may be with made it! Be sure to stop by Lisa's blog - My Creative Endeavors - to see the beautiful kit that she has put together. I always love to see her kits!

Don't forget - this is a just-for-fun challenge, but if you do play along and put together your own stash bash kit - add it to the linky below and we will be sure to check it out and cheer you on! Here are the rules:

1. Follow the challenge prompt to create a kit to work with throughout the month. You may use other items, but please concentrate on using your kit, and link it below.

2. Create new, not previously posted projects using your stash kit.

3. If you have a blog - please include the challenge graphic and a link to our challenge in your posts. 

4. You may link to social media if you don't have a blog. If you share on Instagram, please make sure to use - #lisaandlorisgreatstashbash2024

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter