Friday, October 28, 2022

Sketch N Scrap's Card Sketch #228

 Hello again! I am back with my second post of the day. Be sure to scroll down to see my design team project for today's challenge from Heart's Quest Challenge Blog.

Today I am sharing a card that I created for Sketch N Scrap's Card Sketch #228. This sketch was created by yours truly and it is a quick and easy one. Here is the sketch:


And this is what I came up with:


For this card, I used Fancy Pants' Cozy Christmas collection. They had a deal on Peachy Cheap for the 6x8 paper pad, the ephemera pack, wood buttons, a pack of flowers, enamel dots, and a pack of trim for something like $14.99 and I could not resist. I loved the little house in the snowglobe and the "joy"  word was the perfect fit for underneath it. Once I decided on the papers this card literally took less than five minutes to make. I love quick and easy cards!

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

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

Wicked Cute - Heart's Quest Challenge Blog Color Heart #9

Hello, everyone! Happy Friday to you! I hope you have had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend. The plan around here is to have our family Halloween party! Pumpkin carving, maybe a weenie roast since we finally got rain this week, and who knows what else. One thing is certain - we are sure to have a good time as long as we are all together.

Today I am sharing my project for Heart's Quest Challenge Blog's Color Heart #9. This challenge is quite fitting with Halloween just a couple of days away. Color Heart #9 is to use at least one purple heart and one orange heart on your project. Of course, your project does not have to be Halloween related.

Your project can be a card, a scrapbook layout, a traveler's notebook layout, a tag, a bookmark, an ATC, a planner, or a bullet journal - any type of paper craft is acceptable.

I have chosen to do a traveler's notebook layout:


This layout is of Ada's puppy, Winnie, in her Halloween costume last year. It was probably the first and last costume that she will wear! She was not a fan of it at all. Abby said that it was a fight getting it on her and she only had it on long enough for Abby to get a picture of her and then she was fighting to get it off. Granted she was just a puppy last year so she may grow to like it eventually, but she was not having it last year!

For the challenge, I have added two sets of hearts to my layout - one orange heart and one purple heart to the left side of my layout and one orange heart and one purple heart to the right side of my layout.

Here are a couple of close-ups:


I used Bella Blvd's Monsters & Friends collection for this layout. I bought the collection a couple of years ago when it first came out and I am just now dipping into it. It is so cute and I have no idea why it took me so long to tear into it, but now that I have, I will be using it to get some of those older Halloween photos scrapped.

I was a little stuck on how to get the title to stand out on the text paper. I finally decided to pull out my distress inks and blending brushes to add a little bit of color where I wanted my title to go. I really like how it turned out and I am sure I will be using this technique again soon.

I added a few die-cuts around the title. When I started hunting down witch die-cuts I could not find much in my stash.I did find the witches hat - which was perfect -  and just decided to go with other Halloween related pieces.


I kept the right page pretty simple since the photo and the journaling took up a lot of real estate. I just added a tab, ghost, and the two hearts above the photo and called it good.

Be sure to check out the Heart's Quest Challnge Blog for all of the information on the challenge. I would love it if you played along, too!

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

Saturday, October 22, 2022

Happy Halloween - Sketch N Scrap's WCMD Sketch #4

Hello, hello! Happy Saturday to you! I hope that your weekend is off to a good start! After a couple of really cold days this past week, we are having beautiful fall weather again.  We took advantage of it and took Ada to the zoo yesterday. She had the day off from school and we thought it was the perfect time for a trip to the zoo and a sleepover. We got to see so many animals that we normally don't see when it is hot out and we had such a good time. We even stopped by Hobby Lobby and Tuesday Morning for a little scrappy shopping. I am so happy to see that Tuesday Morning is getting more scrapbook supplies in now. 

Today I am sharing the card that I created for Sketch N Scrap's WCMD Sketch #4. Here is the sketch - made by me:



I have a little box of 6x6 papers that have been torn from paper pads that are about used up. I have dubbed them my use it or lose it papers and whatever is not used up by the end of the year then I am getting rid of them. Anyway, I went through that box and pulled out the black and white papers for this card. The orange paper is from my scraps. The jack-o-lantern, stars, and candy corn are from a sticker sheet that I found at Dollar General for a buck and they are quite puffy! I couldn't resist using them on this card.

This was another quick and easy card ad it has already been sent out to someone sweet!

I hope you have some time to play along with us. I would love to see your take on this sketch, too!

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

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Sketch N Scrap WCMD Sketch #3

Hello again! I am back with my second post of the day. I am so glad that I am finally getting back to feeling like working in my scrap room again. After being sick last month it has taken me a while to get back into the groove of creating. 

Today I am sharing the card that I created for our third exclusive card sketch celebrating WCMD. I also created the sketch! Here is a look at the sketch:


And this is my take on the sketch:


I decided I'd better get started on a few Christmas cards - the holiday season will be here before we know it! I used Simple Stories' Jingle All the Way 6x8 paper pad and sticker book for this card. That little Santa just makes me smile!

I stuck to the sketch this time and this card came together so quickly! I will be using it again soon!

Head on over to Sketch N Scrap to see Tammy's take on the sketch, too. I hope you have a chance to play along with us! I would love to see your take on the sketch, too!

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

Fun Times - Sketch N Scrap Sketch #259

 Hello, everyone! Happy Saturday to you! I hope your weekend is off to a good start.

I can't believe that it is already time for the mid-month sketch at Sketch N Scrap. October is flying right on by. This sketch was created by me:


And this is what I came up with:


I had to make a few minor adjustments to my layout since I used a larger photo than the sketch shows. I needed to make my paper layers a bit bigger and that also meant that I didn't have quite as much room at the top of the page for the top right cluster so I moved it down closer to the paper layers. When I tried to add a tab to the top of the paper layers, it just looked out of place, so I added a couple of tags to that area instead. 

This is a photo that Abby took of the three of them last weekend at Silver Dollar City. It was a beautiful day for them to go and she said it was not that busy and they were able to get on the rides pretty easily. She said Ada just kept saying that she was so happy!

Here are a couple of close-ups:


I added a bit of stamping to the top left and bottom right corners of my layout. Of course, I had to drop my stamp on the page after I stamped it. It wasn't too noticeable so I just went with it.


These navy Thickers were the perfect size to fit on the heart but I kind of wish that I would have used something a little bigger. I could always go back and change it but once a layout is done - it is done for me!


I can't say that this is my favorite layout but it will do. You just may be seeing this photo again one day on a different layout!

Be sure to stop by Sketch N Scrap to see how the rest of the team took on this sketch. I would love to see your take on it, too!

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

Friday, October 14, 2022

Heart's Quest Challenge Blog - Love Theme #8 - Love AND Animals

Hello, hello! Happy Friday to you! We have made it to the weekend - do you have any fun plans? Scott has been working a lot of overtime so I am sure we will just enjoy a nice quiet weekend at home. 

It is time for a new challenge at Heart's Quest Challenge Blog today! The challenge this time around is to use the word "love" - or any variation of it - and add an animal to your project. Scrapbook layouts, traveler's notebooks, planners, journals, bookmarks, tags, ATCs, and cards are all acceptable formats.

Here is what I came up with for the challenge:


This is another photo of Ada that I took last week while our maple trees were looking so pretty. I had asked her if I could take her picture up by the pretty trees and she said, "Yes, I love to climb trees!" and she just climbed right up and struck a pose! This traveler's notebook spread will go in my 2022 52 Favorites TN.

I used papers that I had included in my Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash October kit. I am so happy to be getting these papers used up! They have been floating around in my stash for far too long. I feel like I have been using them for my fall photos forever! It will be nice to break into the new Fall Fever collection before long! I just know if I start using the new stuff this old stuff will just keep setting in my stash, so it's better for me to challenge myself to use the old before starting with the new. And I still like the papers - even if I am a little tired of seeing them!

I based my layout on this older sketch from Sketches In Thyme (January 2022). I think it translated well into a traveler's notebook layout.


Here are a couple of close-ups:


When I saw this cute little squirrel in my kit, I knew I wanted to use him, either on a layout of Ada or on a card to her. The layout won out! It also serves as my title piece.


I had a hard time embellishing this layout. I felt like using the plaid paper for the background on the left side along with the cut-apart card just made it feel a bit busy and that anything that I tried to add to that side just got lost. I even kept the embellishing on the right side to the bare minimum - just a stamped circle that says "love you lots" (to satisfy the 'love' part of the challenge!), a heart, and a few enamel dots. 

Head on over to Heart's Quest Challenge Blog to read all about the challenge. I would love it if you played along with us!

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

Monday, October 10, 2022

TN Time With Lisa & Lori October Challenge

Happy Monday! It is a gorgeous fall day today and I am soaking up every bit of this warm weather that I can!

I can't believe that it is already time for the October challenge for TN Time With Lisa & Lori! It seems like it has been forever since I have worked on my traveler's notebooks and it was great to have a reason to get back to them.

Here is how our challenge works - this is a just-for-fun 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 complete just Lisa's sketch challenge, link up over on her blog - My Creative Endeavors. If you combine both challenges - be sure to link up on both Lisa's blog and here on my blog.

Here is my October Challenge:


Add a stamp to your traveler's notebook layout, bullet journal, or planner. It can be something as simple as a date stamp or something more - just as long as you use a stamp. 

Here is Lisa's sketch:


This is what I came up with:


I took this photo of Ada just last week. Our maple trees are turning such a pretty red - which is quite surprising seeing as how it's been so dry lately - we weren't expecting to get good color this year. She was all for taking photos and I know from experience that I had better get photos with the pretty leaves when I can because they sure don't last long!

For this layout, I used my October Stash Bash kit. Everything - including the stamps that I used - came from my kit. I was able to use most of a full 12x12 paper and quite a few scraps on this layout. This layout is an out-of-pocket layout and is going into my 2022 traveler's notebook. 

Here are a couple of close-ups:


I stamped my title directly onto the background page. I always find that a little daunting to stamp directly onto my layout but I am glad that I did it. I really hope to use my stamps more, especially in my traveler's notebooks, and that means I need to get over my fear of stamping directly on my layout. The more I do it the more comfortable I'll be with it, right?!

I added a few die-cut leaves that were still on my desk from a previous project and a couple of ephemera pieces from my kit to finish out the cluster. 


I fussy cut the squirrel - Ada's favorite animal at the moment - and punched out the "so stinkin' cute" pieces from one of the paper scraps. I found the "I love fall" piece in my ephemera pack, as well, and added it to the cluster.


I had to get creative with this bottom border. I originally had a piece of the same orange paper that is on the left page down for my border and I had even used glue on the ends to secure it. Then I took a good look at it and saw that it was crooked. Sometimes when this happens I will just leave it alone - especially since I had already used glue - but it was too crooked for me to ignore. And, of course, when I tried pulling it up it tore the background paper in a couple of places. I had already used all of that orange paper and I was not about to go searching for another scrap or full sheet to use. I found this orange border sticker on the sticker sheet and decided to just use it. You could still see a couple of torn places on the paper that the sticker did not cover so I added a stamped phrase and a couple more die-cut leaves to hide those spots and I am happy with how this turned out!

Head on over to Lisa's beautiful blog - My Creative Endeavors - to see her take on this month's challenge. We hope you have a chance to play along with us this month! I would love to see what you create!

Even though this is a just-for-fun challenge we do have a few rules:

1. Create a TRAVELER'S NOTEBOOK, PLANNER, OR BULLET JOURNAL spread based on the CHALLENGE THEME and/or our sketch. 
2. Create a new, not previously posted project.
3. You are welcome to combine it with other challenges.
4. If you have a blog please include the challenge graphic & a link to our challenge in your post.
5. You can link to social media if you don't have a blog. If you show your project on Instagram, please make sure to use #TNtimewithLisaandLori 
6. You can submit multiple projects but they must be posted to InLinkz or social media separately.
7. Most importantly have FUN!

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

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #227

Hello, everyone! Happy Wednesday to you! I hope that you are having a good week so far. The weather this week has been fantastic - with cool, crisp evenings and warm, sunny days. It's been very dry and no rain in the forecast for another week so I'm not sure we're going to get much of the beautiful fall colors. Our red maples along our driveway have already changed to a beautiful red, so maybe there is still hope that there will be some color this year.

Today I am sharing the card that I created for Sketch #227 at Sketch N Scrap. I have been on the Sketch N Scrap Social Media team for the last...year or so, I can't really remember, but we have a new team member starting this month and that means that I am back on the blog team! I will still be creating projects for the Facebook page but Stephanie will be joining Jan for our monthly crop challenges.

Here is the October 5th sketch - created by Sketch Artist Lisa:


This is such a great sketch and I know I will be using it for a Christmas card or two this year. Here is my card:

For this card, I used some of the scraps that I included in my Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash kit for this month, and if they look familiar it is because I have been trying to use up these papers and scraps for the last couple of years! I am determined to get them used up this month and if I don't they may just have to go into a purge box! I am tired of looking at them!

I fussy cut the flowers and acorns from one of the patterned papers, and the sentiment is the Kid At Heart stamp set from Pebbles. I stamped the sentiment with Espresso ink from Close To My Heart. One of my goals this month is to use my stamps more, and here is my first project done - and I did some stamping! 

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

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

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Love - Day 3 - 30 Days of Sketches with Christy's Beautiful Life


Hello, hello! Happy Tuesday to you! Today I am sharing the layout that I created for Day 3 of 30 Days of Sketches with Christy's Beautiful Life. This post was supposed to go live yesterday but I have had nothing but trouble with both blogger and Instagram - so I am a day late. Better late than never, I suppose!

Here is the fun sketch that I was assigned - created by Sandra Lee @scrappygal13 on Instagram:


And this is what I came up with:


I made this back in August and I really should have written up my post then because it wasn't long after I made the layout that we all got sick and then September was gone in a flash and I hope I can remember what I wanted to say!

I used my Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash kit from August for this layout - which was full of Simple Stories' Hello Today collection. Everything on this layout was in my kit - except the wood flowers. I had just picked a pack of them up at Dollar Tree and couldn't wait to use them.

The photo is of Abby and her little family at the fountain in downtown Springfield. They were killing a little time before a movie and exploring downtown. I am so glad that Abby snapped a photo of the three of them and shared it with me.

Here are a couple of close-ups:




This sketch is a great one to use up some of those scraps or 6x6 or 6x8 papers and I had a lot of fun working with it!

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


Saturday, October 1, 2022

Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash October Kit Reveal


Hello, hello! Happy Saturday and Happy October 1st! I hope that your weekend is off to a good start. The new month means that it's time for a new Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash Kit reveal. 

Before we get to this month's kit, I want to give an update on my September kit. I made one layout with my kit last month. One. But I couldn't really help it. After avoiding Covid for the past two and a half years, it hit our household, and Scott, Shane, and I all took a turn with it. Thankfully none of us had it too terribly bad, but, boy did it zap my energy and my creativity. I had no motivation to even step inside my craft room. As the end of the month drew closer, I wondered if I was even going to be able to make myself pull a kit together. Turns out that was just what I needed! Once I started going through my supplies, I found myself getting excited about scrapping again and the ideas started flowing. So let's get on with my kit.

For those who may not know about the challenge here is how Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash 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 kits as possible on different projects. Then, on the last day of the 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 Lori's Blog (or both if you choose) so that we can see who is joining us each month!

Here is the "recipe" for October:


Our focus item for this month is one that I am super excited about - ephemera! I love adding those ephemera pieces to my layouts and I hope to get a lot used up this month.
 
Since I didn't get a lot of scrapping done last month I had a really hard time deciding if I wanted to go with a seasonal kit - or just more of an everyday type of kit. I started out by pulling an everyday type kit and then I started second-guessing myself! I tend to like scrapping in the season that we are in so thought maybe I should go with that... Well, knowing me I just decided to do it all! For October I will have a fall-themed mini-kit, a Halloween-themed mini-kit, and an everyday kit.

Let's start with my fall-themed mini-kit:


This kit is filled with those beautiful fall colors, fun wood veneer, stickers, enamel dots, and it has quite a bit of our focus item - ephemera.

Here are the papers:


I have included seven papers in this mini-kit. I have been trying to get these papers used for the last few years! They are all from two different Echo Park collections (Fall Is In The Air and A Perfect Autumn) except the yellow gingham - it is from the Simple Stories Cozy Days collection. I bought a 25-pack of this paper from Tuesday Morning and try to add a sheet or two into any fall kits I make up to get it used!

Here is a look at the embellishments:


A couple of sticker sheets, old wood veneer from Gossamer Blue (does anyone remember them?), enamel dots, two bags full of different fall-themed ephemera, and I even remembered to add in some washi tape!

Here is a look at all that ephemera:


And I have added in what fall-themed cut-apart papers that I could find:


I would love to get a lot of these used this month. Maybe I'll even be able to use some for cards.

I had a page protector full of scraps stored with the papers in the photo above:


These scraps will be great for matting and layering.

Now, onto my Halloween kit. I had just recently ordered the new Halloween collection from Close To My Heart and I cannot wait to play with it. I thought now would be a great time to see if I could get some of my Halloween photos from the past couple of years scrapped!

Here is a look at my Halloween kit:


Since this collection only had stickers, I added a few stamp sets, some enamel dots, and a roll of washi tape.

Here is a look at the papers:


I don't normally order the coordinating cardstock but I don't have a lot of these colors in my stash. They really help to "beef up" the papers in this kit.

Here are my embellishments:


I am excited to use the Halloween stamps that I have included this month. A lot of times I forget to use them but with them being out and on my desk, I will have a better chance of using them!

I wanted a bit more of that melon/coral color and I found these two papers that were a pretty close match:


I also went through all of my scraps and pulled a few that I thought might work:


I even found a piece of vellum in my scraps. You might see some stamped ghosts on vellum popping up on my projects this month!

Now for my everyday kt:


This kit is made up of Jen Hadfield's Reaching Out and Pebbles' Kid At Heart collections. I think they both go together quite well!

Here's a look at the papers:


I love dark yellows, reds, and that teal-ish blue paper. they all look so good together! And I am not generally a fan of the emoji type papers but I have an Ada layout in mind for that paper!

Here are the embellishments:


As if the stickers and ephemera were not enough, I added the 2x2 cut-apart paper, as well. There are quite a few sentiments on those that would be good for cards.

Here are the ephemera packs from both collections:


And a couple of extra papers and some scraps:


Since I was going through my stamps, I pulled a few more sets that I thought I could use with these papers:


I also have the stamp set from the Kid At Heart collection - which I forgot to grab from my desk when I took the photo. It would make me so happy to use a few of these this month!

Here's hoping that October is a better scrappy month for me!

Be sure to stop by 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 - #lisaandlorisgreatstashbash2022

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

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!