Hello Sweet Reward - Sketch N Scrap #186

Hello, hello! Happy October 1st! It seems like it was no time ago that I was on here saying that it is September 1st. September went by so quickly and I know with the holidays coming up that the rest of the year will too.

Sketch N Scrap has a new sketch posted today. Lisa is getting us started with a fantastic multi-photo sketch:

And this is what I came up with:

The only thing that I changed up about this sketch was that I used 5 - 3x4 photos instead of 3 - 3x4 and 2 - 4x3. Since I had a little extra space on the bottom row of photos, I was able to add in a little journaling, too.

These photos were taken this summer when Abby, Ada, and I went to Springfield to see Matt's apartment. We stopped by McDonald's for a quick bite to eat. When we ordered, Ada was given a Lion King coloring page to color and a cup with about 5 crayons in it. When she was finished she could turn it in for a sweet treat. Well, Ada was not crazy about the crayon colors that she was given but she made the most of it and got the page all colored. Then she wasn't crazy about the idea that she actually had to give them her picture in order to get a treat. Abby and I both took pictures of her with her picture and she marched right up to the counter and got her sweet treat - an ice cream cone. She really enjoyed that sweet reward!

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I used a couple of older collections from Simple Stories - Good Day Sunshine and Summer Vibes. I fussy cut the ice cream cone from one of the cut apart sheets for an embellishment.

I felt like the title area needed a little something extra and when I saw the "hello" banner I added it on top of the title. That didn't look right, either, so I punched one of the stickers that was a geotag (and way too big for the area as is) into a 3/4 inch circle and then turned it into a faux chipboard piece by punching 3 more 3/4 inch circles out of cardstock and gluing them together. I think it was just what that area needed.

Be sure to stop by Sketch N Scrap to see the beautiful layouts from the rest of the design team. I hope you have some time to play along with us.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I will be right back with my Counterfeit Kit that I created for October.

You're Never Too Old For Toys - Scrap Our Stash

Hello, everyone! Happy Hump Day! I can't believe it is the middle of the week already. The weekend will be here before we know it!

It's time for the second half of the Scrap Our Stash design team to reveal their takes on the July - Pick Your Side Sketch Challenge today. Here is a look at the double-page sketch that we had to pick a side from:

Along with the sketch we have an added challenge to use 5+ patterned papers and twine on your layout. Here is what I came up with:

I used the left side of the sketch for my layout. It was perfect for the photos that I wanted to use.

I've used my August Counterfeit Kit that I put together for the first of the month. You can see my kit and read all about it here. All of the papers are from my kit with the exception of the red paper. I didn't have much red in my kit that didn't have pink it so I dug into my scrap box and found this red paper.

You can see my 5 different patterned papers in the photo below - a blue stripe, blue dot, arrow paper, red paper, and the fifth paper is found in the banner - a blue star paper. I punched 5 pinked edge circles from the different papers and folded them in half to create my banner

I punched a few tiny stars to scatter around the page. 

About the layout - these photos are from Scott's birthday last year. Matthew had come up with a great idea for a birthday present - a Deadpool figure - something that Scott always looked at but would never purchase on his own. Matthew knew it would look perfect in his Dad's 'Nerd Nook' (his gaming room). Scott was so surprised and thrilled with the gift. He even posted a photo of Deadpool standing beside his birthday cake with a caption of - "You're never too old for toys!" - which was the perfect title for this layout.

I love how this layout turned out and it just may be one of my favorites this year!

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

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

Lasting Memories #301 - Block Tower Expert

Hello everyone! Happy Sunday to you! I hope that you have had a good weekend.

We have a new challenge up over at Lasting Memories today. Our theme for July is "Childhood Games" and this week is all about Snakes and Ladders. I have to admit - I have never played snakes and ladders. Chutes and ladders - yes, but not snakes and ladders.

Here is your inspiration photo:

For my layout, I was inspired by the squares and primary colors.

This is a layout about Shane when he was about 7 years old. He went through a phase of building these big block towers on the corner of the kitchen table - usually right before supper! Sometimes he would tear them down by himself, other times we would have to try and carefully move them. He knew exactly which block went where, and we'd better not mess them up. He always worked so diligently building these towers.

I used Echo Park's Little Man collection. That block paper was the whole reason I bought this collection - and knowing I still had these photos to scrap! I also used another sketch from Scrapbook Generation's The Whole Picture sketch book. I actually based it off of two of the sketches in the book - one just a little more than the other!

Check out the Lasting Memories blog to see what the rest of the design team created using the inspiration photo/game. You have until July 29th to link up for a chance to win a fun prize donated by Sandy, and a chance to be a future guest design team member.

I will post the winner of my blog hop prize a little later today, so stay tuned!

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

Lasting Memories #286 - And The Award Goes To...

Hello everyone! Happy Easter to you! Sadly, our spring break is almost over, but we have had so much fun just staying at home and getting recharged for these last few weeks of school.

The latest challenge is up over at Lasting Memories today, and it is the final challenge of this month. To refresh your memory, our theme this month has been "Welcome to the Oscars" and our last challenge is - "And the award goes to..." This could mean sports, trophies, school awards, etc.

I chose to scrap about my oldest son's first art show. Every spring the art department would put on an art show to show the parents what the kiddos had been working on all year. When Matthew was in kindergarten, he had three very cute pieces of artwork to show off - a clay project (which still hangs in my bathroom!), a frog picture, and a picture of a couple of cute little blue birds. His frog picture won honorable mention for his class, and he got some candy, a pencil, and his ribbon and certificate for an award. He was quite proud of himself, and so were we!

Be sure to head on over to Lasting Memories to see the beautiful layouts from the rest of the team! I hope you have some time to play along with us!

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a blessed day!

Trimming The Tree

Hello! Happy hump day to you! I can't believe it is already the middle of the week. This week is flying by.

Scrapbook Challenges has a new challenge up today and it's a journaling challenge. For December we are challenging you to scrap about your favorite holiday tradition. What is that one holiday tradition that you look forward to doing every single year?

 

 

For me that tradition is decorating the Christmas tree. This year seemed a little more special.

For the first time in a long time, Matthew helped me and Abby decorate the entire tree. He usually will hang a few ornaments and then he is done. Not this year - he helped finish the job! I think knowing that next year he will be in college just made this even more special!

Maybe the reason I love this tradition is because it is a family activity. Or maybe it's because every single ornament on our tree has a story - whether it be an ornament that the kids made long ago, or an ornament from our annual ornament exchange - every single ornament brings back a special memory!

I based my layout on this older sketch from Stick It Down:



 

Head on over to the Scrapbook Challenges blog to see what traditions the other design team members look forward to every year. I hope you find some time in this busy time of year to get creative and play along with us!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful day!