2019 Scrappy Goals

Hello, everyone! Happy New Year's Eve! Do you have any fun plans for tonight? Abby, Shawn, and Ada are coming over for food and games. Hopefully, I will stay up until midnight to see the new year in, but who knows!

Today I thought I would share my scrappy plans and goals for 2019. I didn't do this for 2018 and I missed going back to see what I had accomplished, so here goes.

#1 - Use my stash/spending freeze! If you have followed me for any length of time then you know that this is an ongoing goal for me. Some years I have been more successful at this than others. This year I am going to concentrate a little more on not buying and using what I have. The reason for this - over the last few months we have been doing a little rearranging in our house. Our bedroom has a bonus area in it and for years it has been an overflow space for my scrappy supplies - and a mess to be quite honest! My hubby decided he wanted to make it into his gaming/media room, which was great with me, but it meant I had to find a new place to store my overflow of scrappy supplies. This is when I really realized that I needed to get a handle on what I've got and quit bringing in more goodies until I do. Here is what I am talking about:

I have 4 of these big tubs filled with paper - plus one more that is bigger than these tubs that is still in my closet. This was just paper laying around here and there, stuck in every nook and cranny that I could find. I gathered up all of that paper, sorted it out by color and put it in these tubs. Reds, pinks, and oranges are in one, yellows and greens are in another one, blue is in one (yes I have enough blue paper to fit in one tub all by itself) and neutrals - blacks, whites, browns, and multi colors that didn't really fit anywhere else are in the last one. And all of these are pretty much full already. The blue tub has a little extra room but that's about it.  The good thing about getting this older paper sorted by color is that I have already used more of it in the last couple of months than I have the last year or so just because it is easier to find what I am looking for. 

And then there is my paper rack. I think it has 30 rows so that means 60 spaces that are completely full:

This photo is before we actually got started on rearranging the room. It is now in my closet, filled up with paper once again.

And then there is the paper in my actual scrap room:

I have 3 sets of these "towers" of drawers. There are 12 drawers in each tower, so 36 drawers of my newer papers and collections and the drawers are full, and still more paper stuck around my room. 

And then there are the bulk paper packs that I have picked up at Tuesday Morning and online that are in my scrap room closet:

When I buy bulk packs I only buy basic patterns or solids that I know I will be able to use, but sheesh, I literally have no more room for paper! 

So this is the reason for wanting to use up my stash and go on a spending freeze. I'm not going to say that I am not going to buy any new paper all year. I will continue to receive my Double Shot kit from The Scrap Room each month and I will continue with my Elle's Studio kit and Ali Edwards Kit for my Project Life. But anything more than that will be limited. 

#2 - Get back to my 100 Patterned Paper and Bashket challenge - I neglected these two things in 2018 and I really would like to keep track of what I am using. To mix things up a bit, for my 100 paper challenge I will be making layout kits with these papers. I plan to pull 3 to 4 papers from my stash for each kit and by the time I am through I should have a little more than 30 page kits ready to go. 

I will also get back to my Bashket - a basket of random items that I want to get used up. Right now I have a lot of these little random items on my desk. They will go into my "bashket" bin and I will try my hardest to use on them each time I start a layout. 

When I get these items pulled and ready to go I will make another post to follow my progress.

#3 - Get those (older) photos scrapped! - Doing our rearrange, I discovered I have neglected the older photos of my kids. I have 5 or 6 bins of photos that are in no order whatsoever. Everything before 2012 or 2013 is not organized at all. Since 2013 I have kept my photos in order by month in a photo box, but before that...yeah, not so much. So, each month I am going to try to make at least 1 layout using older photos of my kids.  I would really like to make a layout of each kiddo using older photos each month, but for now, I will say one layout as opposed to 3. 

My plan is to pull the photos I want to scrap each month and maybe pair them up with one of the page kits I make - or if I can get myself really organized, pull the photos then do my paper kits based off of those...we will see which way I go!

#4 - Project Life - I still have not completed a full year of Project Life. I still am keeping good notes and I still have plans to get it done...I just need to make the time for it! I plan on working on my 2019 album as currently as I can, and I will also be working on previous years whenever I can. I love this project and I just need to make the time for it. 

I am hoping having my little cart all set up this year will help me to keep this project going this year. More about my cart and how I am organizing it at a later date:

#5 - Traveler's Notebooks - This year I want to try out using a TN for a few different projects. I really like the size of them and think it will be a fun change-up in my scrapping. A couple of the things I hope to use them for - listing and 52 favorites. 

Paper Issues started 52 Friday Favorites in 2018 and I didn't really play along with it. They are continuing it in 2019 and I will be playing along! The concept is to pick a favorite photo/thing from each week and document it. I think a TN will be perfect for this.

#6 - Online classes - I have a few of Shimelle's classes and Victoria Marie's classes purchased over the last year or two. This year I am going to make an effort to actually work through all of these classes, plus I will be taking Scrapbook & Cards Today's 365 - 2019 Inside the Pocket online class to maybe help me to keep going on my Project Life albums. 

That's it! Those are the things I will be concentrating on this year. I will be going into more detail on a few of these things in the upcoming weeks. 

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve and I will be back here first thing tomorrow with my first project posts of 2019. I think I will have 4 different projects to share with you, so be sure to come back tomorrow!

Guess What....

I can finally let you in on a  little secret that I have been keeping! I am now a member of the Let's Get Sketchy Design Team!!!

Anyone who knows me knows I love a good sketch and I almost always start my layouts with one, so I am thrilled to be on the Let's Get Sketchy Design Team!

Let's Get Sketchy posts a new sketch on the first of every month and you have until the 29th to play along. I look forward to bringing you inspiration using their sketches every month and I hope to see you playing along with us.

My first reveal will be on January 1st showing the layout that I created for the design team call. I hope you check back then to check it out!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

Being Sneaky - Scrap Our Stash Blend-A-Sketch

Hello, hello! Good Thursday morning to you. I hope you all had a good Christmas. Since we have been on Christmas break, I am having a hard time keeping up with what day of the week it is!

I do know that today is my day to be featured over at Scrap Our Stash with my take on the December Blend - A - Sketch challenge. Along with blending the two sketches, we have an additional challenge to use 3 or more of the same kind of embellishment. Here's a look at the sketches:

For my layout, I used the 2 square photos and title placement from the first sketch. From the second sketch, I used the photo placement, layers behind the photos, circles, and the journaling placement. For the added challenge of using 3 or more of the same embellishment, I have used 3 die cut hearts, 3 puffy hearts, and three stamped word phrases.

Here are a couple of close-ups of my title and embellishment clusters:

I did some splatters across my layout. I'm not a fan of the spray mist that I used, but looking at it now it doesn't look so bad!

These photos are of Miss Ada sneaking a taste of some chocolate chip cookie dough on the 4th of July. She loves to help me bake cookies and the dough was just looking too tempting!

I didn't really mean to make a red, white, and blue layout...I guess I was just thinking about it being on the 4th of July when I was picking out the papers. I used some old papers from my stash - My Mind's Eye - Confetti - collection from 2007. I love this collection and it was hard to cut into the papers, but I am so glad that I did! I love the way this layout turned out!

Head on over to Scrap Our Stash for more design team inspiration. We would love to see you playing along with us!

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

Merry Christmas with Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #296

Hello, everyone, and Merry Christmas! I hope you are all enjoying spending some time with the ones you love! It's been a busy couple of days, but they have been filled with making lots of great memories.

I thought I would pop in here really quickly and share one more Christmas card using this week's sketch from Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge. Here is a look at the sketch:

For my card, I have used paper from a Heidi Swapp 6x6 paper pad. I cut two strips for the top and bottom of my card and added a thin strip of washi tape on the top and bottom of each strip. The sentiment is a stamp from Hero Arts. I stamped one of the tree stamps from the "Fir Real" set from Ink Road Stamps on each side of the sentiment.

A pretty quick and easy card! I think it took me longer to decide on the paper than it did for me to actually make the card!

Be sure to stop by the Atlantic Heart Sketch Challenge Blog for more inspiration!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Tuesday Morning Sketches #484

Hello, hello! Happy Tuesday to you! Christmas is just one week away! I'm hoping to pick up a couple more items, but otherwise, I am ready!

It's time for our annual "Anything Goes" challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketches and this challenge will run for two weeks! That's right, you can share absolutely anything you want with us, but there are a few rules so be sure to check them out on the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog.

I thought with Christmas just around the corner that I would share one more Christmas card with  you:

I based my card off of an older sketch - #193: 

The stamp set is from Close To My Heart - B1578 - Joyful Tidings - and I believe it was from last year... or maybe the year before. I added a few metallic gold stars to the top for a little sparkle. 

A pretty quick and easy card, which is just what I need at this busy time of year.

Head on over to Tuesday Morning Sketches to see the projects from the rest of the design team and the super fun prize being offered. We would love to see your creations, too, so be sure to link up!

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

A Few Of My Favorite Things - Sketches In Thyme #353

Hello, everyone! Happy Monday to you! Christmas is a week away...are you all ready for it? I still need to pick up a couple of little things, but for the most part I am ready!

Today is my day to be featured over on the Sketches In Thyme blog using Sketch #353, courtesy of Brenshevia. Here's a look at the sketch:

I rotated the sketch to make it work with the photos that I wanted to use. Otherwise, (other than adding in the tags) I stuck closely to the sketch.

I've used all paper scraps - except for the background, of course - on this layout. I know they are from an older Bella Blvd collection, but I cannot remember which one. I kept this layout pretty simple - only adding hearts and a few "dots" around the title, and then the added tags. I needed somewhere for my journaling and I decided to go with some journaling by way of the tags.

I chose these photos to go along with the Lasting Memories challenge this week which is to create a layout about your favorite holiday items, or holiday collections. These little wooden reindeer and Rudolph book are just a couple of my favorite holiday decorations.

The reindeer were made by my Mom and Dad close to 20 years ago. Dad cut out all of the wood pieces and then my Mom stained and painted them. Now that Mom is gone, they are very near and "deer" to my heart and I love displaying them during the holiday season.

The Rudolph book is my hubby's that he has had since he was a little boy. It is in really great shape with just a little wear on the top of the spine. Another fun decoration to pull out every year.

Be sure to stop by Sketches In Thyme for more design team inspiration every single day of the week! We would love it if you played along with us and there is a fun little prize up for grabs, too!

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

Scribbles Designs Challenge #72 - Year In Review

Hello, again! I am back with my second post of the day. If you are looking for my Sketch N Scrap reveal, please scroll on down.

It's time for a new challenge at Scribbles Designs today. Challenge #72 is - Year in Review. It's always fun at the end of the year to look back over what has happened in the past year. That is just what we are doing for this challenge. Pick your favorite challenge from 2018 and create a project based on that challenge. You can find a full list of the challenges over on the Scribbles Designs blog here.

One of my favorite challenges this year was Challenge #70 - Winter is coming - include some element of snow on your project. This can be a snowman, snow in general, icicles, frost, etc.

I think I chose this challenge because I love snowmen! And who can resist this little snowman in a snow globe?! The image I have used is #841 Snowman Globe.

This little guy just melts my heart! I colored him using my ShinHan markers and for the sentiment, I found a stamp that fit the space perfectly and stamped it in. I die cut a snowflake and added it to the top left corner and added a gem in the center for a little sparkle.

Head on over to Scribbles Designs to see what challenges the other design team members used for their projects. We would love to see what challenge was your favorite this year, too.

Don't forget - our Raise the Hoof event is still going on. You have until January 4th to complete the tasks for your chance to win any of the images throughout the 12 days!

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

Sketch N Scrap #167

Hello, hello! Happy Saturday to you! It is the weekend and I am hoping I can get my Christmas shopping finished up. Wish me luck!!

It's the middle of the month and we have a new sketch posted for you today at Sketch N Scrap.  Heather has created a great sketch for our last layout challenge of the year:

I came across these photos of Shane's 6th Birthday party when I was doing some rearranging and it made me realize that I don't have very many of his birthdays scrapped. In this envelope of photos, I had a group from our party at home, some from his party at Scott's Mom and Dad's, and a few from the party at my Mom and Dad's, and none of them have been scrapped. And he is now almost 19! I need to get busy!

For this layout, I have used papers (the red stripe and yellow dot) and stickers from Carta Bella's - It's a Celebration. The green star paper is from Crate Paper's - Party Day. The alphas are from October Afternoon.

I've left off the journaling until I decide if I want to make a companion page to this layout. I don't have many more photos of him from this party...I will have to see exactly what I have left. If I decide to not make a companion layout I will come back and add a little journaling to this one.

Be sure to check out Sketch N Scrap to see the wonderful layouts from the rest of the design team. We would love to see what you create with this sketch!

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

Snow Much Fun - Scrap Our Stash Golden Globe Challenge

Hello, everyone! Happy Thursday to you! My son is home from college for Christmas break, my daughter has four more days of teaching before Christmas break, packages have been arriving almost daily...it's definitely feeling like a lot like Christmas around here!

Today I am up on the Scrap Our Stash blog sharing my layout for our December Golden Globe Stash Challenge. Our challenge. For this challenge, we are to be inspired by the following movie board and create a winter layout and use snowflake embellishments.

Here is my layout:

We were lucky enough to get a couple of inches of snow in early November - and it was the perfect snow for a snowman. A snow this early is not unheard of around here, but definitely rare! And as luck would have it, Scott was off of work that day and ready to build a snowman with Ada. She had so much fun rolling the snowball to make the body and packing the snow around each section so he wouldn't fall apart. It was definitely a memory making day!

For my layout I have used Simple Stories - Freezin Season - collection. The papers were perfect for this fun day. For my snowflake embellishments, I used stickers from the collection and punched more snowflakes from one of the patterned papers.

Here are a few close-ups of the embellishments:

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today. Be sure to stop by the Scrap Our Stash blog for more inspiration. I would love to see your take on the challenge, too

Have a great day!

AHSC #294 - Thinking Of You

Hello, everyone! I was about to let the day get away without sharing my card for this week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.

Here is a look at this week's sketch:

And here is my take on it:

For my card I have used the - Just Be You - 6x6 paper pad from Echo Park. I changed things up a bit from the sketch. Try as I might, I could not get my card to look like right if I followed the sketch exactly - that long rectangular piece was throwing me off. Once I took it off I was much happier with my card.

I punched two tiny flowers and added them to the sentiment - in the general vicinity that they are in the sketch. I also added in 3 dots punched from one of the patterned papers and added them to the top right corner of my card.

I've said it before - that the great thing about sketches is that they're a starting point - you can change them up however you want to suit you!

Be sure to stop by Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge tomorrow to see the full design ream reveal and the Top 3 from last week. I would love it if you had a chance to play along with us this week!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great night! 

Tuesday Morning Sketches #483

Hello and Happy Tuesday! This week is moving right along! I can't believe that Christmas is just 2 weeks away!

We have a new sketch for you today at Tuesday Morning Sketches. Melissa has created another great sketch for us to work with this week:

For my card, I have used Simple Stories - Classic Christmas - 6x6 paper pad. I fussy cut the three flowers from one of the papers in the paper pad. I added foam tape behind the flower in the middle of the bunch to give a little dimension. I also punched a few small white circles to give the look of an enamel dot without adding too much bulk.

Head on over to Tuesday Morning Sketches to see the beautiful cards from the rest of the design team. We also have a fun prize up for grabs so be sure to check it out while you're there. We would love it if you played along with us this week!

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

Use Your Stuff #340 - Inspired By A Book

Hello, everyone! Good Monday morning to you!

It's time for a new challenge today at Use Your Stuff. This week Heather is challenging us to be inspired by a book.

Since I am still trying to get all of my Christmas cards finished up, I have made one more Christmas card - being inspired by this old "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" that belongs to my hubby from when he was a kid.

For my card, I have used a free image from Scribbles Designs - #F 57 - Rudy. I just think he is the cutest little reindeer! 

I colored the image with my ShinHan markers and double matted him on die cut circles. I die cut the scalloped border and added a thin strip of gold metallic washi tape to the top of it. The reindeer embellishment is popped up on some foam tape to give it a little dimension.

Head on over to Use Your Stuff to see what books inspired the rest of the design team. We would love to see your creations, as well!

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

Sketches In Thyme PL Style #115

Hello, hello! Happy Friday to you! We have made it around to the weekend once again. Do you have anything fun planned this weekend? Earlier in the week it looked like we might get a little snow this weekend, but the system is going to be south of us and we are in the clear! We didn't make any plans because of the weather forecast so we will see what we feel like doing this weekend.

Sketches In Thyme PL Style has a new sketch posted today. Shawn has created a fun journaling card for us to work with:

I have made a card for my December Daily:

Okay, so I must admit - here it is December 7th and this is the only thing I have done in my December Daily this year. I've taken photos and written things down, but as for actually working on my album...this is it. I'm hoping that since we don't have anything planned this weekend that maybe I can work on my album.

This card was very quick and easy - all total it took me maybe 10 minutes and the majority of that time was spent making sure my letters were straight and deciding which word phrase sticker I was going to use! That is why I love having a sketch as a starting point.

The majority of my kit is this year's Elle's Studio Document December kit. I've added a few things from my stash and will try to do a blog post about it this weekend. I added a strip of one of the 6x8 papers that came in the kit to a white piece of cardstock to make my card. The cute little puffy stickers that are in the kit were the perfect embellishment.

The alphas for my title are from my stash and are probably close to 15 years old! They are from Me and My Big Ideas and I still have a couple of sheets left of them, so I am sure they will appear quite often in my December Daily this year!

If you are working on a December Daily or your Project Life album and need some inspiration, head on over to Sketches In Thyme PL Style. We have 115 sketches on the blog ready to inspire you!

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

Scribbles Designs - Raise The Hoof - Day 6 - Cupid

Hello, everyone! It's time for Day 6 of the Scribbles Designs - Raise the Hoof - celebration!

Today we are introducing Cupid to you:

This cute little guy looks like he's not quite sure where the party's at! You can find him in the Scribbles Designs store here - #741 Cupid -

https://buyscribblesdesigns.blogspot.com/2018/12/741-cupid-300.html 

I colored Cupid with my ShinHan markers and put him front and center on my card. The sentiment is from an old Studio G $1 bin stamp set. I am so glad I am finally putting these little stamps to use! I added a piece of silver tinsel trim to make my card look a little more festive!

Now, head on over to the Scribbles Designs Challenge blog to find out today's task and how you can have a chance at winning this cute little Cupid image. Be sure to join us again tomorrow for another new image.

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

Let's Get Sketchy

Hello, everyone! I just wanted to pop in here and pass on the information:

Let's Get Sketchy is having a design team call for the first half of 2019! If you are like me and love to work with sketches, you need to check them out. I know I rarely start a layout without a sketch and Let's Get Sketchy has great sketches on their blog.

You can find out all the information over on their blog in this blog post here.

Good luck if you decide to apply!

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #135

Hello, everyone! Happy Wednesday to you! We have made it halfway to the weekend and it looks like snow may be in the forecast for the weekend for us...we will see if it happens once Saturday rolls around!

Sketch N Scrap has the first card sketch of the month posted today and it is perfect if you need another Christmas card. Of course, it would be perfect for any occasion you choose! Here is a look at the sketch Heather has created for us:

I have created a Christmas card using this sketch. I pulled out some old (2006) papers from my stash that I have been hoarding because I love them so much, but I decided this was the year to put them to use!

I love this "Joy" sentiment from an older Close To My Heart stamp set (D1694 -Very Merry). It is so simple but beautiful at the same time. I will be making a point to use it more often.

The patterned papers are already "distressed" with what looks like brown ink around the edges, so I made sure to distress the sentiment piece with brown ink, too.

This card came together very quickly and this sketch will be one that I go to often.

Don't forget - our Be Merry and Bright Crop starts this Friday. Be sure to join us for lots of fun and inspiration! You can find it here -https://www.facebook.com/events/492812311203460/?active_tab=about

Be sure to stop by Sketch N Scrap to see the beautiful cards from the rest of the design team. We can't wait to see what you create!

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

Sketch N Scrap's Be Merry & Bright Crop

Hello, hello! I thought I would pop in here really quickly and let you know that Sketch N Scrap's Be Merry & Bright Crop starts this Friday! Come on over and join the fun! https://www.facebook.com/events/492812311203460/?active_tab=about

I hope to see you there!

Tuesday Morning Sketches #482

Hello, hello! Happy Tuesday to you! I hope your week is getting off to a good start.

Tuesday Morning Sketches has a new sketch posted today. Melissa has created another great sketch for us to work with:

I'm switching things up a bit today and taking a break from Christmas cards and sharing a birthday card. My granddaughter's 5th birthday was last Friday so I guess I was in the mood to make a birthday card for a change.

I used Carta Bella's - It's A Celebration - 6x6 paper pad for this card. The sentiment is from Jillibean Soup, I believe, and I punched out 3 tiny stars for the bottom of the sentiment. I was going to add 3 party hats like the sketch shows, but the stamp and die that I have is a little too big for the area, so I left them off.

And the ink really does match the minty green strips...the true color got lost in editing, I guess.

Now, head on over to Tuesday Morning Sketches for more inspiration from the rest of the design team. We would love to see you playing along with us this week!

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

It's Time To Raise The Hoof - Day 2 - Dancer

Hello, everyone! Good Sunday evening to you. Scribbles Designs is having a Christmas celebration from December 1st - the 12th called "Raise the Hoof". You can read all about it over on the Scribbles Designs blog. It's sure to be a lot of fun, so be sure to check it out!

For Day 2 we are introducing Dancer:

https://buyscribblesdesigns.blogspot.com/2018/12/737-dancer-300.html

 Here is my card:

I colored the image with colored pencils and die cut it into a circle. I matted it on a scalloped circle die cut and added a few "dots" - punched from patterned paper - around the circle. The sentiment is from an old Studio G $1 bin stamp set.  I think Dancer looks like he is ready to party!

Head on over to the Scribbles Designs blog to find out today's task and be sure to check back over there every day for the next reindeer image, task and more inspiration.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog tonight! I hope you have a great night!

Scribbles Designs Challenge #71 Midway Post - Reindeer Games

Hello, everyone! Happy December 1st! Can you believe that the year is almost over? Every year just seems to go by as fast, if not faster, than the last.

The first of the month means it's time for the midway post at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog. Challenge #71 is - Reindeer Games - your project must feature a reindeer, moose, elk, or caribou as part of your main focal image.

I have created another Christmas card today:

I have used one of our freebies - #F 57 Rudy (Free). I think this little guy is so cute and you can either get the outline image or a pre-colored image for free!

I colored my cute little guy with my ShinHan markers. I also inked the edges of all of my papers. The "Holiday Hello" sentiment is from an old Studio G $1 bin stamp set. I don't do monochromatic cards too often, but I am really liking how this one turned out.

Be sure to stop by the Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog to see the fun cards from the rest of the design team. We would love it if you played along with us this month!

And before you go:

We've got something special planned from Dec. 1st to Dec. 12th to help celebrate the Holiday season. Be sure to join us later tonight at 7:00 p.m. PST over on the Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog to find out all the details for participating. Join us for your chance to win adorable new images!

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