Sketch N Scrap's June 15th Throwback Sketch Challenge

Hello, hello! Happy Sunday to you! I hope you are having a good weekend. Yesterday, we celebrated my birthday and Father's Day when we could all be together, and it was wonderful!

Today is the middle of June - I seriously don't know how that happened so quickly - and that means it's time for Sketch N Scrap's mid-month throwback sketch challenge. Here is a look at the four sketches chosen for us to use:

I chose Sketch #209 from September 15, 2020:

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For this layout, I used my June kit for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash. I chose papers from Bella Blvd, and the yellow paper is a super old paper from Junkitz from 2005.

I snagged this photo from Abby's Facebook page. I love this photo of her and her girl! I felt like the background paper was a little busy for me, so I kept embellishing to the bare minimum. I just felt like to many embellishments made it look cluttered and hard to see the photo.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I finally used one of those clear stickers from an old Simple Stories collection on this layout! This sheet of stickers has been floating around from kit to kit every month for a while, and I am hopeful that now that I have used one that I will continue to use them until they are gone!

The title for this layout came from an older Echo Park collection - Fine and Dandy - and it was one of the cut-apart cards. I die-cut it into a circle and mounted it onto this pretty doily die-cut. I really need to remember to use that metal die more often!

Head on over to Sketch N Scrap to see the lovely layout that Tina has created for the challenge, as well. We hope you have some time to play along with us!

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

Sketch N Scrap's Crop Challenge #3 - Who Knew?

Hello, hello! Happy Sunday to you! I hope you are having a good weekend. The sun is out and shining brightly this morning, and it is looking like it's going to be a beautiful day.

Today, I am sharing the layout I created for Sketch N Scrap's June Crop Challenge #3. These challenges are posted in the SNS Monthly Challenges private Facebook group, and the deadline to enter is June 30th at midnight CST.

Crop Challenge #3 is our small-format sketch challenge with a twist. The twist for this challenge is to use a patterned paper for your background. Your layout does not have to be a small-format layout; it can be any size you would like.

Here is a look at the sketch:

And my layout:

For this layout, I used the oddball extra layout kit that I added to my June kit for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash. I didn't have any embellishments for this kit, so I made good use of the patterned paper and fussy cut some of the plants out of it.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I fussy cut one of the plants from the patterned paper and added it to a punched-out circle. I found the "Do your thing" phrase on a stamp set I had on my desk, and thought it was perfect for encouraging my plants to grow!

Another fussy cut plant and enamel dots for this cluster.

I added my journaling to the tag that sits behind one of the paper layers. Ideally, it would have gone behind the photos, but I had too much to say about my plants, and the tag would have been too long for that area. Plus, I didn't want to cover up any more of that plant paper than I had to!

This layout is about - who knew I would become a plant person? My track record with keeping plants alive is not the greatest, but I am giving it a try after seeing Abby's beautiful plants. I love how much they brighten up a room, and they are sure to bring me a smile any time I look at them. Here's hoping they continue to grow and do well!

Be sure to check out all of this month's crop challenges at SNS Monthly Challenges on Facebook. We would love to see your take on the challenges, as well!

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

Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash June Kit Challenge

 

Hello, hello! Happy Sunday and Happy June 1st! My favorite month of the year! Not only is it the start of summer, but my birthday is this month, as well.

I am running late with my post for this month. We have had so many unseasonably cool, dreary, rainy days - most of the month of May - and when the sun came out and the temps were going to be in the upper 70s - low 80s this weekend, we took advantage of the nice weather to get caught up on a few things that needed to be done outside before the next round of rain hits this week. That meant that I was worn out and completely forgot to finish pulling my kit together before today. But, alas, I finally had some time this afternoon to take care of it!

Let's get to it.  If you don't know what this challenge is all about, here's 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. 

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 a look at the June recipe:

To create your kit, pull 10 papers, 3-4 embellishments, 5-7 scrap papers, and for June, our focus item is stickers.

My kit is a tiny bit bigger than called for this month. I had started out making layout kits again, but since it's summer, I needed a good summer kit, and I just couldn't stop with 10 papers! I also did things a bit differently and started my kit with a kit starter paper:

I missed out on this pretty summer collection from Cocoa Vanilla when it came out. I think I finally snagged this paper from Scrapbook Generation when I shopped there a couple of years ago - and I actually bought it for the other side! I'm so glad I haven't used it yet, because it is the perfect paper to use for my kit starter this month!

Here is a look at the papers:

(In my haste, I completely forgot to take a photo of my whole kit! You'll just have to see it broken down in categories!)

There are quite a few different manufacturers in this kit. Bella Blvd, Jen Hadfield, Junkitz (that one is really old!), Close To My Heart, Damask Love, Echo Park, and Cocoa Vanilla. I love the whole vibe these papers are giving!

Here are the scraps:

I pulled in a couple of cut-apart papers, flowers, and a couple of ephemera packs from Bella Blvd. Not everything will match my kit, but a lot of them will:

When I went to get my enamel dots, I saw the new Pretty Little Studio Love is Kind goodies that I picked up for myself for Mother's Day, and thought they matched really well! Since I didn't buy the paper pack for that collection, I thought this might help me to get them out and use them:

Since our focus item is stickers, and I am working with all sorts of manufacturers, I pulled all the summer-themed stickers I could find in a hurry. Here are the icon stickers I pulled:

Here are the alpha stickers:

And if that's not enough stickers, I pulled these papers out of my sticker color binders:

Did anyone else make the color binders that Janet from RTS Scrapbooking talked about? I sure did, and while I love having them in color categories and all out on a page where they are easy to see, I still do not reach for them often. Maybe because they are from older collections, or maybe I just never got in the habit of reaching for them, but I would love to use up a lot of these stickers so I can be done with them!

I will also be keeping these embellishment boxes out again this month. They may just have the perfect embellishment in them!

As I said before, I had actually started pulling layout kits. This one was the first one I pulled, but then it didn't really go with my summer kit. Instead of sitting it aside, I am going to go ahead and post it. 

I do have a layout already planned out for this kit, so we will see if I can get it made this month!

That is it! Sorry for the delay, but better late than never!

Be sure to head on over to Lisa's blog - My Creative Endeavors - to see the fabulous kit she has put together.

Remember - 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 #lisaandlorisgreatstashbash2025

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

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Click here to enter

Sketch N Scrap's 13th Birthday Bash Sketch #4

Hello, everyone! Happy Saturday to you! I hope your weekend is off to a good start! We are supposed to have sunshine and temps in the 70s today, and I am so ready for it! 

Today is the last Saturday in May, and that means Sketch N Scrap has one final 13th Birthday Bash Sketch for you to try. Here is a look at the fun sketch Lisa has created for us to use:

And this is what I came up with:

My good friend, Willa, came to see me at the beginning of May! We met each other on the Inspired to Scrap message board 10+ years ago and became (online) friends right away. She is so good to check in on me from time to time and to lend an ear when I need someone to talk to. I am so grateful that their vacation brought them close enough for a visit. She and Barry are the sweetest people you will ever meet, and our visit went by too quickly! I hope we can make it happen again someday!

For this layout, I have used Cocoa Vanilla's - These Days - papers and embellishments, and the yellow paper is from Die Cuts With a View. Here are a couple of close-ups:

For the title area, I backed one of the die-cuts with vellum so the puffy alpha stickers would stand out a little more than just on the patterned paper. I fussy cut a few flowers, added a butterfly die-cut, a few enamel dots, and a phrase sticker to complete that cluster area.

I repeated the same thing - fussy cut flowers, a butterfly die-cut, enamel dots, and phrase stickers for the bottom cluster. I love how this layout turned out!

Be sure to stop by Sketch N Scrap to see all of this month's sketches. There were a lot this month! There is a $25 gift certificate to an online store of choice for one lucky random participant! All you need to do is play along with any of our sketches this month and add them either to the Sketch N Scrap Blog or in the private Facebook group here. You'd better hurry - the deadline to enter the blog challenges is 9:55 PM CST tonight, May 31st, and midnight tonight CST for the Facebook group. 

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

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #285

Hello, everyone! Happy Thursday to you! I hope you have had a good week and that you are ready for the weekend. We are (finally) supposed to have a sunny, warm weekend. We've had unseasonably cool weather for the end of May. As I type this, we are sitting at 58 degrees with a high for today around 65, and we have another chance for rain. I am just ready for a few days filled with lots of sunshine and warmer temps!

Today I am sharing the card I made using Sketch N Scrap's May 5th card sketch.  Here is a look at the fun sketch:

It feels like it's been forever since I made a card! This sketch was perfect for getting back to it. Everything came together so easily!

This card was made completely out of scraps. I pulled out my Cocoa Vanilla These Days collection pack, and these scraps were all in with it, and almost all were the perfect size already! I just needed to cut the yellow piece down to size. The floral piece and the woodgrain piece were just the right size. I love it when I can use up scraps and not leave any more behind!

The flower was fussy cut from another one of the patterned paper scraps, and the sentiment was stamped from an older Close To My Heart stamp set.

Be sure to stop by the Sketch N Scrap blog to see all of the fun sketches that were posted this month. I hope you've had a chance to play along!

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

You & Me - Sketch N Scrap's 13th Birthday Bash Sketch #2

Hello, everyone! Happy Wednesday to you! I hope you are having a good week. Ada and Abby are excited because tomorrow is the last day of school, and it's a half day! Bring on summer vacation! Now, if we could only get the weather to cooperate! Upper 60s and low 70s are nice, but I am ready for a little warmer weather.

Today, I am sharing my take on Sketch N Scrap's 13th Birthday Bash Sketch #2. Here is a look at the fun sketch Lisa created for us to use:

I love this sketch! The three wide strips across the page are perfect for your favorite papers! Here is a look at the layout I created:

For this layout, I have used another one of my layout kits that I made for this month's Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash Kit challenge. One of the papers in the kit was perfect for the top paper strip where the title was to go. I love it when titles are easy!

These photos are of Abby and Ada on one of our girls' days. I love the photo of the two of them walking hand in hand. Lots of feels with this layout - which will all be in the journaling, either hidden or written on paper and put in with it. 

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I've been trying to use my stamps more on my layouts. I figure the more I use them, the easier it will get! The stamping isn't perfect, but nothing I can't live with. 

Be sure to check out all of the challenges this month at Sketch N Scrap. I would love to see you playing along with us!

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

Chillin' With You - Sketch N Scrap May 15th Throwback Sketch Challenge

Hello, hello! Happy Thursday to you! I hope you are having a good week. It is starting to feel a little more like summertime with temps in the upper 70s and 80s, and I couldn't be happier! 

It's the middle of the month, and that means it is time for Sketch N Scrap's mid-month throwback sketch challenge. Here is a look at the sketches we have to choose from:

I chose throwback sketch #106 for my layout:

Guys! Guess what?! I have used almost every bit of this boy-themed layout kit from my Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash kit for this month, and I made two 12x12 layouts with it! The only thing that is left is scraps and the sticker sheet. I am so happy to get it all used.

This photo is of me and Shane from back in 2016 when he actually liked taking photos! It's so funny because he loves to look at pictures when I have them out - especially pictures with him in them, but for the last few years, when the camera comes out, he hollers "Not yet!" and runs the other direction! Nowadays, I have to get pretty creative to get him in a photo - and he's usually not looking at the camera! #becauseautism

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I smooshed some ink around on the white cardstock and then added some stamped stars around the layout. I found vellum stars in my stash, which were the perfect colors. I sprinkled them around the stamped star clusters. I added some wood veneer pieces and finished it all off with a few phrase stickers. 

Head on over to the Sketch N Scrap blog for more inspiration all month long. I hope you find some time to play along!

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

Cousins - Sketch N Scrap's 13th Bday's Bash Sketch #1

Hello, everyone! Happy Saturday to you! I hope your weekend is off to a good start. It's looking like it's going to be a beautiful one here in SW Missouri. I think we will be spending lots of time outside enjoying it!

We are celebrating Sketch N Scrap's 13th birthday with a new sketch every Saturday in May, and since last week was iNSD, that means today is the first of four new birthday bash sketches.

Here is a look at the sketch:

And this is what I came up with:

This is my second layout for Sketch N Scrap this month, and the second layout that is a "then and now" type of layout! I didn't intend for it to be that way; those were just the photos that were speaking to me.

This layout is about the special bond Shane has with his cousin, JT. JT has always looked past Shane's autism to see Shane for who he is. Shane has always gravitated towards JT because of that. He has never been afraid to rough-house and play with Shane. Even though Shane has a hard time communicating, JT seems to understand what he needs. I wish more people could see Shane like JT does. It is definitely a special bond.

The photo on the left was taken in 2008, and the one on the right was taken on Easter this year. It had been a long time since Shane had seen JT, and before we left Shane walked up to JT, ready for a big bear hug and a bit of rough-housing. 

I will add some hidden journaling talking about the special bond these two have behind the photos or one of the paper layers.

I used one of the layout kits that I put together for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash this month. I'm pretty sure I cut into every paper in the kit, used some of the stickers, and the metal star dies that were in my kit. There's not much to put back in my stash, and that makes me so happy!

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I printed off the "a special bond" phrase on a piece of vellum on the computer and layered it over the alpha stickers.

Lots of stars on this layout, but JT is definitely a star in our book!

Be sure to check out Sketch N Scrap for inspiration all month long.

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

Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash May Kit Challenge

Hello, everyone! Happy May 1st to you! My goodness, this year is going by fast! 

It's time for a new Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash kit challenge! If you don't know what this challenge is all about, here's 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. 

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

May is going to be super busy, scrappy-wise, with iNSD and Sketch N Scrap's 13th Birthday celebration, so my kit for this month is full of layout kits to help me get lots of scrapping done!

Here is a look at the May recipe:

To create your kit, pull 10 papers, 3-4 embellishments, 5-7 scrap papers, and for May, our focus item is flowers.

Instead of one big coordinating kit, I have made not one, not two, not three, but four layout kits! And I made sure to shop some of my older stash to get it used this month!

Here is layout kit #1:

This kit consists of Cocoa Vailla's No Limits collection. This is all that I have left of this collection, and I would love to use it up this month! I don't have many coordinating embellishments, so I have pulled some star dies, star stamps, and a sheet of puffy stickers. There are a couple of stickers on there that I think I can use for the layout I have in mind.

Here is layout kit #2:

This kit is made up of a few different collections. The dandelion paper came from a "Best Of" paper pad that I picked up from Dollar General a couple of years ago. I'm not sure what collection it is originally from, but this paper pad had a variety of older American Crafts collections in it. The yellow stripe and navy and light blue paper are from an older Pink Paislee collection, and the tone-on-tone navy is from One Canoe Two's Goldenrod collection. The green is from my scrap pile. No embellishments to go along with these papers, so I pulled out a couple of stamp sets. I know I will need more, but this will get me started!

Here is layout kit #3:

The purple papers in this kit came from another one of those paper pads from Dollar General, and all of the black and white papers came from a Die Cuts With a View paper pad. I pulled some flowers - our focus item this month - a couple of stamp sets and metal dies for the embellishments. I am going to have to get creative this month!

Here is layout kit #4:

This kit has two papers from Fancy Pants' The Bright Side collection, a paper from Jillibean Soup, one from The Paper Studio, and a piece of cardstock. I did add in a couple of scraps I had on my desk from last month. More metal dies and a floral stamp for embellishments.

Here is a photo of all of the stamp sets and metal dies I have pulled to help me out this month. The stamp sets are all from Close To My Heart and have good phrase stamps, icon stamps, and stamps that will go on just about any layout.

I am also keeping these boxes of random goodness out with my kit: 

I am sure I will find some things that will work with the layouts I plan on making this month!

I already have photos and sketches picked out for these kits and am ready to have some scrappy fun this month. If I need more scrappy kits, I will pull in some of my past Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash kits that I haven't broken down and put back in my stash.

Be sure to head on over to Lisa's blog - My Creative Endeavors - to see the fabulous kit she has put together.

Remember - 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 #lisaandlorisgreatstashbash2025

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

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter