Smile - Sketch N Scrap #269

 Happy Friday and Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope that you have had a good week and that you are ready for your weekend.

Today I am sharing the layout that I created using the March 15th sketch at Sketch N Scrap. Here is a look at the sketch that I created:

This sketch came about when I pulled my Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash bashket items for February. I found a bunch of 3x4 papers that I had gotten in a swag bag kit from Paper Issues quite a while back. Like, at least 3 years ago, but probably longer. I used to love getting their swag bags and doggie bags filled with tons of embellishments and paper cut-offs. I see they no longer offer the swag bags but still have the doggie bags...I may have to order one again!

Anyway, I had included several 3x4 papers in my kit and quite a few of them were black and white. I wanted to create a sketch where I could use those black and white papers on a layout and get them out of my stash. This sketch is what I came up with,

Here is my layout:

Since I was using black and white 3x4 papers, I knew I wanted to add lots of color by way of my embellishments. I pulled out my March kit for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash and my bashket and went to work! I found the rainbow diagonal stripe paper and thought that would be a good way to add color. Then I went through the die-cuts that I had added to my bashket and was able to get quite a few used on this layout. 

This photo is of me and my girls on our girl's day back in February. We had so much fun that day and have plans for another one in just a couple of weeks when they are on spring break. 

Here are a few close-ups:

Since our focus item this month is enamel dots/bling, I made sure to get quite a few on this layout! 

I found this ticket on my scrap room floor. I thought the colors went well and I really liked what it said - perfect for our girl's day, so I added it to my layout. That ticket, the puffy hearts, and the title are the only things that were not in my kit.

This area here on the sketch showed three enamel dots. I turned it into another cluster area.

Have you had a chance to play along with us yet? I would love to see your take on the sketch, too! 

Be sure to check out Sketch N Scrap for more inspiration using this sketch.

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

Project Life - Week 2 2023

Hello, hello! Happy Tuesday to you! I hope that you are having a good week!  After having a very mild February and the first few days of March, winter has returned and I don't like it one bit! It should not have tempted us with all of those sunny - warm - days only to come back with a vengeance! Cloudy, dreary, cold days not getting out of the 30s when the average high is close to 60...not nice! Oh, well, I know the pretty days will return soon enough. At least the sun is finally shining today.

Today I am sharing Week 2 of my 2023 Project Life. Slowly but surely I am getting into a groove with it. For this week, I am using the January Freckled Fawn kits. I decided to try a subscription with them this year - at least for a while - to see how well I use their cards, papers, and embellishments. I have always loved their embellishments, so we are going to give them a try. 

Here's a look at the complete layout:

Here is the left side of the layout:

And a couple of close-ups:

For my title card, I cut down one of the 6x8 papers into a 4x6 card since the pocket card kit does not include the 4x6 size. cards. I cut the frame from one of the 3x4 cut-apart cards and added it to the 4x6. I fussy cut the flowers from one of the 6x8 papers for embellishments and a few of the adhesive-backed brads that I had included in my February bashket. The colors of those brads matched perfectly and I was able to get quite a few onto this layout.

I did pretty well using the chipboard that came in the kit. I think I only have three or four pieces left.  I am trying to use as many of the embellishments that come in the kit as I can so I am not adding much back into my stash at the end of the month. 

The photos and stories from the left page are - a photo of Shane when we actually went inside Wendy's to eat instead of taking it home. It had been so long since we ate inside and the food tasted so good! There's more to this story than what is told here, but that will be for a traveler's notebook layout!

I picked up a couple of sets of cute pens that I liked and that I thought Ada would like - they are some of her favorite things - llamas, unicorns, mermaids, narwhals, etc., and this picture just made me happy with them all laid out.

Abby sent me a photo of Ada with her first "coffee" and there's more to this story, as well. Another story for my traveler's notebook.

I shared two photos from our game cam - a squirrel with a nut in its mouth and a deer. I really thought we would see more action on it during the winter, but that has not been the case. 

We also got a little bit of snow. Heavy, wet snow that was perfect for making a snowman. Thankfully it hit after everyone was already at work and it didn't really stick to the roads.

Here is the right side of the layout:

The majority of the photos on this side was from Sunday when we had a family dinner. In fact, the only photo not from Sunday is the one of Shane playing his game. No special story there - just a typical day. 

The photo of Ada and Pops in the top pocket is them doing the Tortilla Slap Challenge. Ada had been after him to do it with her and he finally gave in. The photo of Ada below that one has another photo and some hidden journaling on it. Let's just say that the Tortilla challenge wasn't that fun for her! She started off strong winning the first few rounds and getting to "slap" Pops, but then her luck changed and it wasn't quite as fun for her! Her little cheek was red from all of the tortilla slaps that she took! I'm pretty sure she won't want to do the challenge anytime soon!

I had to dig into my Freckled Fawn chipboard stash to finish embellishing. I did get a few washi tape pieces on this layout, too. 

We were so excited when we found out that The Last Of Us was being made into a series. Scott and Matthew have both played it multiple times - and I always like watching them play it, so when it was made into a series, it was like a dream come true! This was the week of the first episode and it did not disappoint. We loved it!

This photo of Ada and Winnie is one of my favorites!

Another week in the books! My plan for this year's Project Life album is to show love to all of my pocket card subscriptions - so, one week I will use Elle's Studio goodies, one week will be Freckled Fawn, one week will be Ali Edwards, and the last week will be whatever - either finishing up one of the kits, digging into my stash, or finding a digital kit to try working with.

That's it for today! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! Have a great day!

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #237

 Hello, everyone! Happy Monday to you! I hope your week is off to a good start. It's sunny and 70 here today and I am loving it! I'd better enjoy it seeing as how our weather forecast for the rest of the week is the 50s and rain.

Today I am sharing the card that I created using the March 5th sketch at Sketch N Scrap. Here is a look at the sketch that Lisa has created for us:

This is what I came up with:

This card came together so quickly once I had decided on what papers I wanted where! I used my March kit for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash - in fact, I used some of the same papers that I used for the layout that I shared yesterday - just in the 6x8 version. The heart die-cut and enamel dots are ones that I have included in my bashket last couple of months and I die-cut the flower out of a scrap of pink paper that I had included in my kit. I love it when I can use the things up that are in my kit!

Be sure to stop by the Sketch N Scrap blog and the Sketch N Scrap Facebook page for more inspiration for our sketches. 

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

Happy Together - LM #640 - World Wildlife Day - and Sketch N Scrap #268

 Hello, hello! Happy Sunday to you! I hope you are having a good weekend. It's been another beautiful weekend here but they are calling for colder temperatures later this week. 

It is time for a new theme and a new set of challenges at Lasting Memories this week. We are celebrating some special days in March that you just might not know are special! March 3rd is National Wildlife Day and so our first challenge is to create a layout and add an animal to it in some way. This can be in the patterned paper, an animal in your photo, or an animal embellishment. You do not have to scrap about an animal, but you can if you want to!

This is what I came up with:

For this layout, I scrapped a photo of Ada and her puppy, Winnie. They were both just hanging out on our bed, enjoying each other's company.

I used my March kit for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash. Everything on this layout was either in my kit or in my basket that is almost to overflow! I did have to go in search of a scrap of paper to mount floral paper onto so I would stand out on that white background, and I found a piece of mint from another Simple Stories collection - Sunkissed - that was perfect. 

I tried to add some stenciled hearts on the background but just felt like it didn't look right, so I stuck with the white background. 

I based my layout on the fabulous March 1st sketch from Sketch N Scrap:

I love sketches with big blocks of paper. I always try to find my favorite paper to use there to show it off.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I put a few of the items that I have added to my bashket the last couple of months to good use on this layout. I went through all of those die-cuts that I added in February and pulled anything that was yellow, pink, orange, or mint. I was able to get quite a few on this layout. The "You are pretty sweet" sticker was from one of the old My Mind's Eye sticker sheets. 

This "happy" die-cut has been in several of my kits over the last few years. I am happy to have it finally on a layout! When I found the "together" die-cut, I thought it was a perfect way to finish off the title.

I managed to use a total of three tags from the tag cut-apart paper in my kit. Now that I have actually cut into that paper, maybe I will get them used on more projects this month. I finished off each cluster area with our focus item at Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash - enamel dots.

I love how this layout turned out!

Won't you join us at Lasting Memories and at Sketch N Scrap this month? We would love to see your beautiful creations!

I will be back soon to share another project with you. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! Have a great day!

Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash March Kit

 Hello, hello! Happy March 1st to you! Ahhh, March! Spring is so close I can almost taste it! We have had a very mild February - yesterday it was 70 degrees - and I just hope the above-average temperatures stick around for a while.

It is time for the March edition of Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash. If you don't know what Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash is all about - here is how it works - 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. Then, on the last day of the month (or in my case on the first of the next month!), we will do a recap post showing what stash we were able to bash! This year we have added a bashket challenge to our kit challenge. Every month we pick 10 items that we want to get used up this year in a basket. We try to use as many of those items as we can during the month. If we don't use them all then those items stay in the basket and at the beginning of the next month, 10 more items are added. The object of the challenge is to try to keep your basket from overflowing!

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, and our focus item - which is enamel dots/bling.

Be sure to pick your 10 items for your bashket!

For March I have decided to go with a summer collection. The weather we have been having has me so ready for warm temperatures all of the time. That, paired with the fact that I have three new summer collections on my wish list right now, made me want to try to clear out at least one of the summer collections in my stash so I won't feel so bad about adding new ones.

Here is a look at my kit: 

I have chosen the Simple Stories Summer Lovin' collection to try to finish off this month.

Here is a look at the papers I have left from this collection:

The sides that are showing are the sides that I plan to use. Here is a look at the back sides of these papers - just in case I change my mind:

There is a very good chance that I will use some of the cut-apart papers!

Here are the embellishments that I have chosen:

I have the 12x12 sticker sheet, the sticker book, the ephemera packs, doilies, washi tape, twine (that I found when looking for my bashket items), washi tape, and our focus item - enamel dots. I forgot to add bling to my kit and I have a few packs that I think will go with it, so I will add those, as well. 

Here are the 3x4 cut-apart cards, the 4x6 cut-apart cards, and the tag paper. 

I have plans to make a couple of project life layouts with the cut-apart cards.

Here are the scraps that I added to my kit:

 

Now for my bashket items. I have not done too well at keeping my bashket from almost overflowing.I'm pretty sure when I add these items to it it will be at capacity - unless I upgrade to a bigger basket! I have used up a few of the items but I really would have liked to have used more than what I have, so I  made sure to pick items that coordinate well with my kit. 

I have lots of Freckled Fawn, Gosssamer Blue, and Studio Calico goodies for my bashket. I decided to subscribe to the Freckled Fawn embellishment kit, at least for a few months this year, so I want to use up some of what I have been hoarding! Lots of labels, lots of chipboard - lots of things that would work great with my kit!

I cannot wait to dive into this kit!

Now, head on over to Lisa's blog to see the beautiful kit that she has pulled together for this month. 

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 - #lisaandlorisgreatstashbash2023

 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have an awesome day!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Project Life - Week 1 2023

 Hello, hello! Happy Wednesday to you! I hope that you are having a good week. 

Today I am finally sharing my first Project Life layout of the year! This layout has seriously been laying on my desk for weeks and I just got around to putting the finishing touches on it and getting it photographed. 

Here is the layout:

For this first layout for the year, I have used Elle's Studio January kit and a few of their older cards and embellishments. I also managed to use most of the puffy stickers that I included in my bashket for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash. 

Here is a closer look at the left side:

This week we got to spend the day with Ada on Monday - Abby had to go back to work for a teacher work day. Scott was still on Christmas day and she was happy as could be to spend the day with Pops! It was a dreary day but that didn't stop us from going on an adventure! I turned around to snap a photo of the two of them and I caught them doing a goofy walk. There is never a dull minute with these two!

The Damar Hamlin incident also happened on Monday. I was watching a movie and Scott came in and said, "I think someone may have just died on the football game." I thought he was kidding - thinking it was a really hard hit - but then when I went in and watched the replay. It was such a scary thing to watch and to not know (at the time) if he was going to be alright. 

On Tuesday Matthew surprised me with a visit. It was so unexpected and made my day! He'd come to Lebanon to get a haircut and stopped by on his way back to Springfield. He didn't stay long but we were able to visit over lunch. Anytime I can have lunch with any of my kiddos - it just makes me happy! 

I also got sticker shock when I bought a dozen of eggs at the store! $3.96 for eggs?! I knew prices were going up but that is just crazy!

This week I also got some scrappy goodies in the mail, Scott got an over-the-door organizer to help keep his Johnny West figures organized, I started stitching a new cross-stitch piece, our big flock of turkeys decided to come for a visit to the backyard, we watched The Black Phone - and really enjoyed it - and we made an unusual trip to Springfield on Sunday for some furniture shopping.

Here are a few close-ups:

I wanted to be sure to use that 2023 card this first week, otherwise, I don't know when I would use it. It became my title card for the week. I also pulled out my Stanley alphabet stamps from Elle's Studio to stamp on the card about Matt's visit. I really hope to do a lot of stamping on my layouts this year.

I scattered the puffy stickers that I had included in my bashket around my layout. I tried really hard to use all of them, but some of the colors just did not match or I just couldn't make them work. There are not many left so that is a good thing!

I am so happy to have this first week in the album! Week 2 is all ready to go and hopefully, I will get it completed a lot faster! I'd better get crackin' on getting more photos edited and ordered! I want to keep the momentum going!

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

Sketch N Scrap #267

 Hello, hello! Happy Friday to you! I hope that you have had a good week and are ready for the weekend. It's a long weekend for us and I am so ready! Miss Ada is out of school today and spending the day with me. We'll have a sleepover tonight and I think we are going to have a girl's day tomorrow with her mom. A girl's day with a little bit of shopping and a lunch date is exactly what I need!

Today I am sharing the layout that I created using Sketch N Scrap's February 15th sketch. Here's a look at the sketch:

And this is what I came up with:

This sketch is great for all of those scraps that we all collect or it would be great to use a bold striped paper, as well. I used my Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash February kit for this layout. I used one full sheet and cut into five of the other papers, so now I have a few scraps left! I am going to try to get another layout made with those before the end of the month. 

We got a fairly decent snow at the end of January. I think it measured five inches - which is pretty good for around here - and it was a very heavy - wet - snow. Our snows are typically dry and powdery. This snow stuck to everything - but the roads, which was a plus! The trees were so beautiful all covered in the snow and I couldn't wait to get out and take a few pictures. The only downside to this heavy snow was that we lost power at 8:45 AM and it didn't come back on until 4:30 PM. The house was starting to get pretty chilly by the time it finally came back on. At least with it not sticking to the roads, Shane and I were able to get out and get something to eat to pass some of the time. He does not deal too well with no electricity but he handled it the best that he could and we were both ecstatic when it finally came back on.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I made good use of the sticker sheet on this layout. I think I used fourteen stickers on this one layout. I also used the grey and turquoise enamel dots and the doily from my kit. The white enamel dots and the mint-colored tab were in my bashket, so I got at least a couple of those items used, too.

I added my journaling to a tag and added that to the right of my photo. 

This layout came together so quickly and I think I will be using this sketch again soon. 

Be sure to stop by the Sketch N Scrap blog to see more inspiration from the design team using this sketch. I hope you have a chance to play along with us, too!

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

                                                                                        

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #235

Hello, hello! Happy Thursday to you! We are inching closer to the weekend and I am ready for it!

Today I am sharing the card that I created using the February 5th sketch at Sketch N Scrap. Lisa has created such a fun card sketch for us to play with. Here's a look at the sketch:

And the card that I created:

For this card, I used my February kit for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash. We have had a couple rainy - dreary days around here and I was in need of some sunshine. This "You Are My Sunshine" collection from Bella Blvd that I had included in my kit was just the sunshine that I was needing. Those bright colors and that sunny sentiment are the perfect fix for the winter doldrums. 

All of the papers on this card were scraps and I punched the sentiment out of the cut-apart paper. The three white hearts are from my January bashket. I've been pretty good about checking my bashket first to see if I have anything that would work before I grab something else from my stash. I still have quite a bit of my mini-kit left, so here's hoping I can get another project or two done before the end of the month rolls around.

Be sure to stop by the  Sketch N Scrap blog and the Sketch N Scrap Facebook page for more sketch inspiration. I hope you have a chance to play along with us!

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

Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash February Kit

Hello, hello! Happy Sunday to you! I hope that you are having a good weekend.

Today I am sharing the kit that I created for this month's Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash. We are a little late with sharing our kits this month, but Lisa has been very busy with some exciting things that I am sure she will share when she is able. I didn't want to delay the post any longer in case someone wanted to play along with us this month. Lisa will have her post up just as soon as she is able.

Before I get to my February kit I thought I would give a quick update on my January kit. I wasn't very scrappy in January - I was focusing more on making plans for what I want to work on this year and trying to get a little better organized. I only made two layouts with my kit last month but I do still have plans for at least a couple more layouts with it before I put it away. I am working on my recap post and will have it up later this week so you can see which bashket items I used and which ones will be joining my February kit.

If you don't know what Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash is all about - here is how it works - 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. Then, on the last day of the month (or in my case on the first of the next month!), we will do a recap post showing what stash we were able to bash! 

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 February:

To create your kit, pull 10 papers, 3-4 embellishments, 5-7 scraps, and our focus item - which is stickers this month. Don't forget to pick 10 more items to add to your bashket.

For February, I have pulled two - very different - mini kits. One kit is full of bright colors and the other kit is a bit more subdued. Here is kit #1:

I was in need of some bright - fun - sunny colors after a few days of wintery weather. This Bella Blvd - You Are My Sunshine - collection is perfect for that. 

Here is a look at the papers:

These papers just make me happy and they are perfect for some Ada photos!

Here are the embellishments:

I went through the die-cut pack and pulled out the ones I thought I might use this month and I added a couple of different types of enamel dots/shapes, and our focus item this month - stickers.

Here are the scraps for this kit:

For my second mini-kit, I have pulled papers to document a few snowy photos!

The papers and sticker sheet are from Echo Park's Hello Winter collection.

Here are the papers:

I love the colors in this wintery collection and I can't wait to get them on a layout!

Here are the embellishments:

I have added a doily, enamel dots, a snowflake punch, and the sticker sheet. 

No scraps for this kit - I couldn't find anything that truly matched.

Here are my ten bashket items for February:

I have added - three sheets of washi tape, two sticker sheets (2015) from Elle's Studio, cut-apart phrases and labels from Pretty Little Studio, a package of adhesive-backed brads from Heidi Grace, cork embellishments from Elle's Studio, a package of gold embellishments from Gossamer Blue, a sticker sheet from My Mind's Eye, five sticker sheets from My Mind's Eye, 3x4 papers from Paper Issues swag bags, and a bunch of random die-cuts from past kits that have been thrown into a 4x6 photo box instead of put back where they belong.

Last month I felt like I didn't add very much to my bashket - mostly single items - which is fine - and now this month I feel like I have gone overboard with my bashket items! I just need to remember that I need to try to use as much as I can throughout the month but that I have until the end of the year to really use them up.

I didn't add many stickers to my main kits but I made up for that with my bashket items! Here is a close-up of some of the stickers:

Here are the 3x4 cards/papers:

I used to love getting the Paper Issues swag bags! It was a great way to build up your embellishments. I have five or six of the 4x6 photo boxes filled with goodies from the swag bags. I wonder if they still sell those...

Here are the die-cuts that I included:

I tried to pull a variety of colors and things that could work on any layout. I would be so happy to get all of these used this year. I probably still have twice this many in another 4x6 photo box, so if I start running low I'll have more to add in later in the year.

Phew! If you are still here through all of that - thank you for sticking around! Here's hoping I'll be a bit more productive this month!

Now, head on over to Lisa's blog to see the beautiful kit that she has pulled together for this month. 

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 - #lisaandlorisgreatstashbash2023

 

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