Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #370

Hello, hello! Happy Tuesday! I hope you all had a good holiday weekend! I know we sure enjoyed the extra day!

Today I am sharing the card that I created for this week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge. Here's a look at the fun sketch that Michelle has created for us:

And here is the card that I created:

I loved that the sketch showed flowers for the embellishments but I wanted to do something a little different and create a birthday card and use party hats. 

I used a Lori Whitlock (Sizzix) Framelits with stamps set for this card. I'm not certain of the name but I think it's Happy Birthday To You. To keep with the party theme I punched out several tiny stars and dots to scatter around the party hats. 

A super quick and easy birthday card all ready to be sent out to someone soon!

Be sure to stop by the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog tomorrow to see the wonderful cards from the rest of the design team and last week's Top 3. 

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

Whisper Loves - Scrap Our Stash May Sketch Challenge

Hello and Happy Thursday! 

I am back today with my take on this month's sketch challenge at Scrap Our Stash. Along with the sketch challenge we have the added challenge to use heart patterned paper and heart embellishment. Here's a look at the sketch:

This is what I came up with:

Abby, Shawn, and Ada had a kitty cat adopt them when they moved into their house a couple of years ago. I don't know if it was a neighborhood cat or if it was a stray, but whatever the case, it decided that their house is where it wanted to live. When he started sticking around more and more they named him Whisper - not because he has a quiet little meow - Abby says it is quite the opposite and a very loud and obnoxious yowl! It took quite a while for him to get comfortable enough to let them come close, but as you can see, he eventually got over that and likes to give - and receive - some lovin's!

The pink paper on my layout has tone on tone hearts all over it and then I fussy cut several hearts from another patterned paper for my embellishments. I also added a few puffy heart embellishments, too.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

Head on over to Scrap Our Stash to see how the rest of the design team took on this challenge. I  hope you have some time to play along with us!

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

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #170

Hello, hello! Happy Hump Day! We are inching ever closer to the big Memorial Day holiday weekend here in the states and the unofficial kick-off to summer. I am going to be anxious to see how this summer goes. 

It's time for a new sketch at Sketch N Scrap today. Lisa has created a great sketch for us to work with and it is another one that I know I will be using again!

And here is my card:

I just recently got a few pieces of the Simple Stories Summer Farmhouse collection and couldn't wait to put it to use. These fun bright colors are just what I was needing to work with. We have been dealing with cool, cloudy, dreary days for over a week now and I needed something bright and sunny in my life! 

All of these papers are from the 6x8 paper pad and the sentiment piece is a 3x4 cut apart card that I cut down to about a 3x3 size. I tried adding some sort of embellishment to the lower left corner of that piece but with the cut apart card being a floral print everything just seemed to get lost on it, so I left it plain. I didn't really want to cover up those flowers anyway!

Be sure to stop by Sketch N Scrap to see the beautiful cards from the rest of the design team. We would love it if you played along with us!

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

Smile - Mixing the Kits - The ScrapRoom

Hello and Happy Tuesday!

I am back today to share the layout that I created for the Mixing up the Kits feature at The ScrapRoom.

The ScrapRoom offers up a variety of fabulous kits each and every month. For my layout today I am using the May portion of the Shots of Life kit, the Patterned Paper Add-on kit, and the Embellishment kit. Here is a look at each of the kits:

May/June Shots of Life Kit

May Patterned Paper Add On Kit

May Embellishment Add On Kit

Here is my layout:

I thought all of the papers in the Patterned Paper Add-on kit worked so well together! I used the floral sheet from Simple Stories, the pink striped paper from Pebbles, and the yellow dot paper from Carta Bella. I also fussy cut several of the little butterflies from the other Pebbles paper to use as embellishments. 

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I just love those fussy cut butterflies! They were the perfect little touch that this layout needed!

I created a cluster using a few of the fussy cut butterflies, Carta Bella die cuts from the Shots of Life kit, and stickers from the Simple Stories sticker sheet in the Embellishment add-on kit. 

The only things that I added from my stash were the navy background paper, the cream cardstock, the doily, the word sticker for the title, enamel dots, and gold shimmer mist. 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! Be sure to check out The ScrapRoom blog for more inspiration using this month's kits!

Have a great day!

The Paper Girls Challenge #200 - All About Boys

Hello, everyone! Happy Monday to you! I hope that you had a good weekend and are ready for the new week. 

It's time for a new challenge at The Paper Girls Challenge Blog today. For our 200th challenge, Alex is challenging us to create a boy themed project. Masculine cards are often in short supply and we all have a male in our lives to document whether he be family, friend, or furry - so create a project celebrating the boys!

I have created a card that I think fits the theme!

I've used bits and pieces from the Simple Stories - So Rad - collection, which is about all that I have left of it! I used a couple of die cuts from the collection and the rest is from the scraps that I had left. I think it came together nicely and can easily be used for any occasion.

I based my card off of this month's card sketch at Stick It Down:

Be sure to stop by The Paper Girls Challenge Blog to see the awesome boy themed projects from the rest of the design team. I would love to see your take on the challenge, too!

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

Week 26/2019 - The ScrapRoom Shots of Life May Kit

Hello, everyone! Good Monday morning to you! I hope that your week gets off to a good start!

Today I am sharing the layout that I created using the May portion of the May/June Shots of Life Kit from The ScrapRoom. The last time I checked this kit is still available but they tend to sell out fast and you don't want to miss out on this fun kit! Here's a look at the kit:

May/June Shots of Life Kit

This kit is filled with all sorts of summery products and for my Project Life spread I used the Pebbles Sun and Fun Quotes cut apart sheet and washi tape. The cute cut apart cards were perfect to document Week 26 of 2019 - a week filled with lots of pool time and summertime fun:

Here's a close-up of the left page:

This left side shows what happened in the first part of Week 26 - Ada marked another item off of her summer bucket list by going to the splash pad, I found an old cross-stitch pattern leaflet that I had been looking for since getting back into cross-stitch, Scott trimming the lower limbs of the trees to make it easier to mow around them, his nightly routine of taking a quick swim when he gets home from work to refresh and enjoy the rest of the evening, and photos of our neighbor's field filled with the prettiest wildflowers! These pretty purple flowers open up in the morning but by dusk they have closed back up and you can't even tell that there are flowers in the field. When they are open the field is a sea of pretty purple flowers!

Here is a close-up of the right side:

This side is documenting the last half of the week. Scott's vacation started on Thursday afternoon and on his way home from work he picked up a couple of pizzas, Ada stayed with Pops while Abby and I went to town shopping. We had to bring her home a little surprise of the new series of the Disney Doorables, Friday was spent in the pool. Ada was having fun jumping off of the pool deck into the pool and one time when she jumped in she came up and said - "Hey! Hey! I did it! I touched the bottom of the pool!" The last two photo pockets show what our family room - or should I say Shane's room - looks like on a daily basis. VHS tapes, DVDs, and video games scattered around the floor in front of the tv. And don't even think about picking them up! He knows exactly where each one is in that pile! On this day he was watching Toy Story while playing Crash Bandicoot on his DS while lining up his white tile letters all in a row. 

This photo shows where the story of Ada touching the bottom of the pool will go. I just need to write it all out to see if it will fit if I just write it or if I need to type it up.

Be sure to check out The ScrapRoom to see all of their awesome monthly kits and check out The ScrapRoom Blog for inspiration using all of the kits!

Gotta Scrap - The Studio Challenges - Scrapbooking

Hello everyone! Happy Sunday to you! I hope you are having a good weekend. 

It's time for a new challenge at The Studio Challenges today and this week's challenge is all about our favorite hobby - Scrapbooking! As it was NSD a couple of weeks back it got us thinking all about scrapbooking how and when did you get into it? What do you love about it? etc. Create a layout about your scrapbooking.

Here is my layout:

The photos of are of my scrappy space, me in my scrappy space, and one of my favorite parts of scrapping - all the pretty papers and fun embellishments! I pulled the papers and embellishments that I wanted to use for this layout and snapped a quick photo of it all laid out and ready to be put together for a layout. 

I used Simple Stories - Hey Crafty Girl - collection for this layout. All I had were scraps left of this collection so the background paper is from Simple Stories' - Reset Girl - collection and it matches perfectly.

This layout is a pretty busy one for me but I am really happy with how it turned out. Here are a couple of close-ups:

I had quite a bit to say for my journaling, so I typed it up and added a tab so it can be hidden under the photos. This is what the journaling says - " I started this hobby 22 years ago when Jenny bought me a Creating Keepsakes magazine and I fell in love with all of the pretty papers. I loved the idea of documenting our story - the happenings of our daily lives whether they be big or small. Over the years scrapping has come to mean so much more to me. Yes, our stories are still the main reason I scrap - and the most important reason - but being a Mom of a child with autism I need something where I can escape for a few minutes - or a few hours if I am lucky enough - and have a chance to just be me, and that thing for me is scrapping. Over the years scrapping has become my therapy - it keeps me sane when it feels like my world is spinning out of control. It is possibly the only area that I feel I am just me. So bring on the pretty paper and fun embellishments because one thing is certain - this girl's gotta scrap!"

There you have it - the story of when and how I got into scrapping and why I still love it today!

Be sure to check out The Studio Challenges to see the beautiful layouts from the rest of the design team. I would love it if you had a chance to play along with us!

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

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #368

Hello, hello! I am back with another quick post today. 

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge has a great card sketch this week! Whenever I see a card sketch with a big rectangle on it - this sketch - it always makes me want to look through my pocket cards or cut apart cards to make a quick and easy card. Here is a look at the sketch:

I knew I had a cut apart sheet from Echo Park's - It's Your Birthday collection -that had quite a few cut apart cards that would be perfect for a birthday card.

The card that I picked to use originally had a black and white diagonal stripe border around it, but due to some not so great cutting with my dull trimmer blade...I had to get rid of the whole striped border and mat my cut apart card on a piece of cardstock instead. It looks fine but I really wish I hadn't had to get rid of the striped border!

I added a double twine bow to the top of the cut apart card and an enamel heart sticker at the end of the sentiment. 

Using the cut apart card made making this card really quick and easy.

Be sure to check out the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog tomorrow for the full design team reveal and last week's Top 3 picks. I hope you have some time to play along with us!

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

Bliss - Counterfeit Kit Challenge - Challenge #1

Hello, everyone! I hope that you had a good weekend and a good start to the week. 

It's time for the first challenge at Counterfeit Kit Challenges today. As a little refresher - here is a photo of this month's inspiration kit - Echo Park's "Oh Happy Day" collection:

And here is a look at the kit that I put together:

For our first challenge, Master Forger Leslie is challenging us to be inspired by the name of the inspiration kit collection - Oh Happy Day - to create our layout. "Check through your photos for that great happy memory, or perhaps one of your kit elements reminds you of something happy. Use your creativity to lift spirits and bring a smile."

One of the things that always bring a smile to my face is my granddaughter! My daughter sent me this photo of her just a week or so ago - outside and enjoying the pretty spring day.

I used mostly the Echo Park - Good Day Sunshine - papers and embellishments on my layout, but I did manage to use a piece of paper from the - Oh Happy Day - collection, as well. The only thing on here that wasn't included in my kit is the doily.

Here is a close-up of the title and journaling:

I based my layout on this April 2020 sketch from PageMaps:

Be sure to check out the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog to see how the rest of the design team took on this challenge. We would love it if you would play along, too!

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

TN Time With Lisa & Lori May 2020 Challenge

Hello, everyone! Happy Sunday to you! I hope that you are having a good weekend. Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mom's out there today! I got to enjoy some great - much needed - family time with my kiddos this weekend.

Are you ready for the May edition of TN Time With Lisa & Lori? Well, let's get to it! Here's how it works - this is a monthly challenge that starts on the 10th of each month and ends on the 9th of the following month at midnight CST. If you complete my random challenge for the month - link your TN, bullet journal, or planner spread below. If you combine my challenge with Lisa's sketch challenge - link up here and on Lisa's blog  - My Creative Endeavors - and you will have two chances to win a prize. You can find the full list of rules here. 

Here is May's challenge:

(May 10th to June 9th)

Since Aprils showers bring May flowers - and we are now into the month of May - I want to see some flowers on your spread. This can be on the papers, embellishments, or in the photos.

Here is a look at the sketch Lisa has created for this month:

This is one of my favorite sketches that Lisa has created and it is staying out on my desk for another layout that I have in mind...maybe I can get it done and share it before the end of the challenge!

Here is the layout that I created using the sketch and adding in my challenge to add flowers:

This spread is in my 2018 Favorite Photos of Ada TN. Guys, I seriously need help here! I have so many TN's going all at the same time - Ada's Summer Bucket List from last summer, my 52 Favorites of 2019, my 52 Favorites of 2020, and the list goes on and on! BUT - I truly enjoy working in them - probably because they are just for me and I feel there is no pressure to make them perfect.

For this spread I have used papers from my May Great Stash Bash kit. I had hoped to use up the scraps that I had from this layout here from last week, but I didn't have quite enough of the coral dotted paper for the spread so I had to cut use a new sheet. I was able to use up almost all of the yellow paper between the two layouts, though! 

Since my challenge for this month is to use flowers, and I included a ton of flowers in my May Great Stash Bash Kit, I actually managed to use four on this spread!

I stamped out my title using three of the Title Builder Stamp sets (1, 2, and 4) from Elle's Studio. I love these stamp sets and they are the perfect size for my TN's and my Project Life albums.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

The enamel dots and word/phrase stickers were the only things on this spread that were not in my May Great Stash Bash Kit. 

We have decided to carry over the linky for one more month. I know the county where I live has been very lucky and not seen any positive cases of COVID-19 until this weekend and now we have 2. We are going to give it another month before we draw a name for a prize - so just keep adding your projects to the linky and hopefully, we will draw a winner in June!

Be sure to hop on over to Lisa's Blog to see her great layout using this month's challenges. I would love to see what you create, too!

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

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

I Heart Summer - Scrap Our Stash - What's My Challenge

Happy Friday! I hope that you have had a good week. We've had a pretty good week around here. It's been hard getting back into the routine of Scott going back to work, but it's pretty nice getting back into a routine, too.

Today I am sharing the layout that I created for Scrap Our Stash's - What's My Challenge - for May. This month's challenge is a Tic Tac Toe board - which is always fun! Here's a look at the board:

I chose to use the items in the first column - wood veneer, brads, and chipboard - for my layout:

I can't remember when I made a layout of (just) Abby and I thought it was about time that I did just that!

The title of this layout fits her perfectly - being a teacher she cannot wait for summertime and those nice lazy days - and what better way to spend them than in the pool!

For this layout, I used a couple of papers, wood veneer, brads, and chipboard from my May Counterfeit Kit.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I used a chipboard frame and word/phrase stickers in this cluster, along with the wood veneer camera and heart, and several brads.

It's hard to tell in the photo but that is another brad - it's just a clear gem type brad and did not photograph well!

Be sure to stop by Scrap Our Stash to see the beautiful layouts from the rest of the design team. I hope you have a chance to play along with our Tic Tac Toe challenge this month, too! I would love to see what you create!

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

Challenge YOUrself #77 - Mom

Hello, everyone! Happy Thursday to you! Man, this getting back into the old routine of things is hard. I'm not used to having to get up so early but it sure makes the day seem longer!

It's time for the May challenge at Challenge YOUrself and this month it is all about MOM - and don't forget to include yourself in your layout!

Here is my layout:

I decided to scrap photos from Mother's Day 2018 - well - sort of! Matthew couldn't come home on Mother's Day weekend because he was getting ready for finals so we celebrated a couple of weeks later! 

These photos always make me smile! Shane was playing his video game and couldn't put the controller down long enough to take a photo with us. He was a good sport and at least turned around and looked at the camera for a few photos.

I used the newer papers and some scraps from my May Great Stash Bash kit. The flowers are fussy cut from one of the papers. I used my new favorite alphas from Bella Blvd for my title. 

Be sure to check out the Challenge YOUrself blog to see the gorgeous layouts from the rest of the design team. I hope you have some time to play along with us this month!

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

The Paper Girls Challenge # 199 - Image Inspiration

Hello everyone! Happy Monday to you! It is back to the old routine today as hubby is back to work after a month plus off due to the Coronavirus. Am I a bit nervous? Yes. We've done a good job of staying home and only going out when we absolutely need to but I know we have to get back to the new normal at some point. His work is taking extra precautions and he does not have to work in close proximity to others and I am hoping that everything goes smoothly - and safely!

It's time for a new challenge at The Paper Girls Challenge Blog today! This week the challenge is to be inspired by the image below:

I was inspired by the colors, hearts, and the butterfly that can be found in the image.

Okay, so my blue is a whole lot bluer than that in the image, but it matches the blue in Ada's shirt! Her shirt has all sorts of fun little images all over it so I found what I could - sticker, die cuts, and chipboard wise - and added them to my layout. I never thought I would use the pink glasses sticker - and I found a place for them on this spread! I also added some splatters around the spread - which I almost regretted...now that they are dry they don't look quite so bad!

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I didn't want a lot of bulk in my TN, so I peeled off most of the layers of chipboard on the rainbow and heart to get them a little flatter. 

These super cute alphas from Bella Blvd are my current obsession right now! They are just the right size for my TN's and Project Life spreads - and there are so many colors!

Head on over to The Paper Girls Challenge Blog to see how the rest of the design team was inspired by the inspiration image. I would love to see your take on the challenge, too!

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