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!

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Ada At Eight - Sketch N Scrap #266

 Hello and Happy Saturday to you! I hope that your weekend is off to a good start! We've had a nice quiet start to our weekend and I hope it remains nice and quiet! 

Today I am sharing the layout that I created for the February 1st sketch at Sketch N Scrap. Lisa started us off with a great sketch to work with and I had a lot of fun creating my layout. Here's a look at the sketch:

And this is what I came up with:

Last April I decided I wanted to make a list of Ada's favorite things at 8 years old. She was more than happy to help me come up with the categories and then tell me her favorites for each. I wish I had started this when she was younger but it's better to start now than to never do it all.

I had three pictures of her from the day we made out the list, and I had fully planned to use two on this layout, but then I had the dilemma of where to put her list! So, I decided to just use one photo of her and make the other spot a journaling spot. I think it will be so much fun to go back and look at what her favorites are each year and how they change as she gets older. We've already filled out her favorites at nine list and I'll be working on that layout soon. 

You are getting a glimpse of my February Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash kit with this layout. That post will be going live tomorrow so stay tuned! I have used Bella Blvd's You Are My Sunshine collection for this layout. Everything in this collection just screams Ada right now so it was perfect for this layout about her favorites.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

For the title I used metal alphabet dies from Scrapbook.com. I wanted something that was going to stand out against that busy-ish background but the stark white letters were a little boring. I got out a stamp and stamped it across the tops of each letter to give them something a little extra. I was afraid that they might blend into the background but they really don't.

I knew I wanted to add this phrase sticker to the layout and it is the sole reason that I have that bright blue color around my layout. I didn't want it to be the only thing in that color on my layout so I added a photo mat with it to my journaling and a few punched circles to get that visual triangle in there.

I picked all of the same types of flowers out from the die-cut pack, the sticker sheet, and what few puffy stickers I had left to add to each cluster. 

Since we had thought up quite a lengthy list of favorites I knew I needed a big space for my journaling. I created my own journaling card using a 'currently' stamp from Elle's Studio and a dot border stamp from Close To My Heart. I counted up the lines and I had just enough to list out each item individually instead of doing a sort of run-on list of favorites. I used a small enamel dot for a bullet point for each item. I love how it turned out! Would I have liked a bit more space and to write a little bigger? Sure, but I was working with what I had and I think it turned out cute.

Be sure to stop by the Sketch N Scrap blog and the Sketch N Scrap Facebook page for more inspiration using the sketches. I hope you find some time to play along with us!

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