Life is Sweet - Scrap Our Stash March Sketch Challenge

 Hello again! I am back with my second post of the day. To see my reveal for The Studio Challenges, please scroll down.

I am back to share my layout for the March sketch challenge at Scrap Our Stash. This month's sketch features 4 photos - although you could use less if you wanted. Along with the sketch, there is the added challenge to use washi tape on your layout. Here's a look at this month's sketch:

This is what I came up with:

These photos are of Ada when she was not quite a year old. Abby had snapped these photos while Ada was playing with one of her toys, and they are just too cute. I think she likes to show off those bottom two teeth with that smile!

I used Doodlebug Design's 'Made with Love' collection for this layout. I received this collection in my kits from The ScrapRoom and the colors could not have matched Ada's outfit any better!

Here are a few close-ups:

I must admit that I totally forgot all about using washi tape on my layout until it was already made. And I even had it sitting out on my desk, ready to be used. Then I had to try to figure out how to work it in without it looking like a random piece of washi tape stuck on there! I added it to a couple of the tags and under the phrase sticker (the green washi), and underneath the tag that I journaled on (pink striped washi).

I die cut a few hearts and stamped and die cut a few flowers for my embellishments. The clear gems came in my kit so I added them to the centers of my flowers. I added a few puffy hearts to the clusters to finish it all off.

Be sure to stop by Scrap Our Stash to see the layouts 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!

Little Suzy Homemaker - Scrap Our Stash Remix Challenge

 Hello, everyone! Happy Friday to you! We have made it to the weekend and it has been a long first week getting back into the groove of things after a couple of weeks off for the holidays! This weekend is much needed! 

Today I am sharing the layout that I created for the new remix challenge at Scrap Our Stash. This is a fun new challenge for the new year where you are given a layout from a current or past Scrap Our Stash design team member and you are to remix - or scraplift - the layout. There will always be an additional challenge and this month it is to use mixed alphas on your layout. 

I am quite honored to have the first layout to be "remixed"! Here is a look at the graphic:

This is what I came up with this time around:

I stuck very closely to the original layout in my scraplift. The only major change was adding a bigger embellishment cluster in place of the journaling on the original and then adding hidden journaling behind the photo. 

I used the Simple Stories Apron Strings collection that I had received in my kits from The ScrapRoom in October 2020. The little aprons and homemade vibe of this collection were perfect for these photos of Ada on the day of her birthday party. She loves to play that she is a baker and has a restaurant so for her birthday this year that is the theme that I went with. I dusted off those sewing skills and made her apron and then bought her three different felt food sets - a taco set, a sandwich set, and a sugar cookies set. She had so much fun taking our orders and then making our "lunch" for us. In this day and age of kids loving their electronics and devices - it just makes me so happy to see her playing pretend! 

She was all for posing for pictures for me in her new apron. She even came up with the idea to pretend like she was stirring something in a bowl! 

Here are a couple of close ups:

Instead of using paper strips at the top and bottom of my layout, I cut pieces of washi tape into narrower strips and added those. One of my goals this year is to actually use my washi tape - especially when it comes in a kit! I still need to add my journaling. I just need to figure out how to condense down all that I want to say in the amount of space I have. 

I fussy cut this cute little apron from one of the patterned papers. I think it makes the perfect embellishment!

Be sure to stop by the Scrap Our Stash blog to see how the rest of the design team took on this challenge. I would love to see your take on it, too!

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

Beautiful You - Scrap Our Stash March Sketch Challenge

Hello, hello! Happy Saturday! I hope that you are all doing well. 

Today I am sharing the layout that I created for the Scrap Our Stash sketch challenge for this month. Along with the sketch we are to use plaid paper and wood on our layout. Here is a look at the sketch:

And my layout:

I used Doodlebug Designs "Hello Beautiful" collection. I had received the papers and the die cuts in a Doubleshot kit from The ScrapRoom back in July of 2018. I loved the vibrant colors and knew they would be perfect for an Ada layout - I just needed to wait for the right photo. Everything on this layout came from that Doubleshot kit with the exception of the enamel dots, wood veneer, and stamps I used for the title. 

Abby sent me this photo back in November and when I saw it I got a little glimpse of Ada as a teenager! There she is - wearing those sunglasses and showing a little bit of attitude...she just looked so cute and grown up!

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I am so happy to say that I used all but 4 die cuts out of the ones that were in my Doubleshot kit! That is the one thing I absolutely love about The ScrapRoom kits - you get a sampling of a collection - and I rarely have very much left over after I make a couple of layouts. It's always so satisfying to use my supplies!

I decided to stamp my title directly onto my layout. I felt like I needed a little something for separation between the title and the journaling so I added a strip of paper and a wood veneer arrow.  I also scattered a few wood veneer hearts and enamel dots around my clusters. I loved this big acetate flower piece that was in the die cuts that I received and I thought it was perfect for the area that was represented by the tag on the sketch. I just love how this layout turned out!

Be sure to stop by the Scrap Our Stash blog to see the beautiful layouts from the rest of the design team. I hope you get 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!

Be Unique - Scrap Our Stash

Hello, hello! Welcome back! Today I am sharing my take on this month's "What's My Challenge" at Scrap Our Stash. Here's a look at the challenge:

Along with the color challenge, we are to use a stash item for each letter of your first name. I have used - L - labels, O - oval, R - rhinestones/roller date stamp, I - ink.

So, having to use items that begin with each letter of my first name kind of dictated how this layout turned out. I know I would have never used an oval for my title base and it's a toss-up on whether or not I would have used rhinestones - they are one item I have a hard time remembering to pull out and use - but it was fun to be pushed out of my comfort zone and use those things. 

Everything on this layout - except the oval metal die, the alphabet letter dies, and the rhinestones - came from my March Counterfeit Kit. The colors in my kit were pretty close to the colors needed for this challenge. 

I love these photos of Ada from last spring. She was being quite the little model with her new jelly shoes that she brought to show me. I think she liked them so well because she could put them on all by herself!

Be sure to check out Scrap Our Stash to see the fabulous layouts from the rest of the design team. I hope you take on this fun challenge, too!

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

So Lovely - Scrap Our Stash February Sketch Challenge

Hello and Happy Friday! We have made it to the weekend once again. My oldest son is coming home for a day or two when he gets off of work today and I am ready to spend some time with him.

Today I am sharing my take on the February sketch challenge at Scrap Our Stash. Along with the sketch challenge we are also challenged to use polka dot patterned paper and washi tape. Here's a look at the sketch:

For this layout, I started out by looking for my polka dot paper. Once I started pulling polka dot papers, I couldn't stop, so all of my papers - except the blue stripe is a dot of some sort.  Even one of my washi tapes is a polka dot! I added the dark pink washi tape on the edges of the pink polka dot paper and then the mint polka dot paper is added to my bottom cluster.

I can't believe it's been almost two years since I took these photos of Ada. Time just goes so unbelievably fast anymore. She was looking so cute this day - but then again she always looks cute - and she was in the mood to take photos, so I took advantage of it!

I added a few paint splatters across my layout and it's no surprise that I smudged one. Luckily it was in a place that I could cover easily cover with an embellishment. Here are a few close-ups:

I just love these little tiny enamel hearts! I think I need to get a few more packs of them to have on hand!

Be sure to check out the Scrap Our Stash blog to see how the rest of the design team took on this challenge. I would love to see your take on it, too!

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

Sweet Girl - Scrap Our Stash Saturday Cartoon Sketch Challenge

Hello and Happy Friday! I hope that you have had a good week and are ready for the weekend. We're getting another taste of winter yesterday and today before it warms up for the weekend. Thank goodness we get to have a couple warmer days before the next cold blast (and maybe even a bit of snow) sets in on Monday. 

Today the second half of the design team at Scrap Our Stash is up on the blog with our take for this month's Saturday Cartoon Sketch Challenge. Along with the sketch, we are to use a fruit embellishment. Here's a look at the graphic:

I loved Strawberry Shortcake when I was a kid and I guess I had strawberries on the brain because that is the fruit that I decided to go with. I also knew I had pictures of Ada in a sleeper with strawberries on it - and I know I didn't have to go so literal with the challenge - but this is what I came up with - Ada wearing a strawberry sleeper, strawberry paper, and a couple of fussy cut strawberries for embellishments:

All of the papers that I used are from various Bella Blvd collections, with the exception of the darker pink polka dot and I believe it is from a Shimelle collection. I had the "sweet" rubber word on my desk and am so glad that I was able to make it work on this layout. 

I actually pulled out my sewing machine and stitched around all of the edges of the papers. After they were attached to the background, I distressed all of the edges. I also used some messy thread in my clusters. Here are a couple of close-ups:

Head on over to Scrap Our Stash to see the rest of the design team's take on this challenge. I would love to see what you create, too. 

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

Be Brave - Scrap Our Stash Saturday Cartoon Sketch Challenge

Hello, everyone! Happy Saturday! It's supposed to be another rainy day - I am so tired of the rain - but at least it's the weekend and I get to spend the day with my two favorite girls today!

I am up on the Scrap Our Stash blog today with my take on the May Saturday Cartoon Sketch Challenge. Along with the sketch we are to include a rainbow or rainbow colors on our layout.

This is what I came up with:

I used a rainbow-striped paper and I even added a rainbow chipboard sticker on my layout. The papers are some of my favorite from Close To My Heart. I had to be sure and order an extra paper pack before they were all gone so I would have it, I liked it so much!

I stuck with the sketch - opting for a full circle instead of the outline and since I added a fishtail banner to the top left side, I left off the cluster on that side of the circle. 

Here is a close-up:

The story behind this layout - Ada was getting ready to go to the doctor to get her shots for school. She wasn't too nervous, but I made her a "Be Brave" card for the occasion anyway! Abby said that when she gave it to her before they left and read to her what it said, that Ada had to give it a little hug. It must have worked because Abby said she was a very brave girl through it all - and I'm sure the money inside the card for a little treat afterward helped, too!

Be sure to stop by Scrap Our Stash any day of the week for more design team inspiration! I would love to see your take on the challenge, too!

Heartbroken - Scrap Our Stash Saturday Morning Cartoon Challenge

Hello, everyone! Good Thursday morning to you. I hope you are having a good week. Now that the weather has gotten warmer time really seems to be flying by for me!

Today is my day to share my take on the Saturday Cartoon Inspired Stash Challenge at Scrap Our Stash - and it is a fun one!

This month's challenge is to pick a care bear and create a layout based on the sketch. You must include the color of the bear you choose on your layout and you must use an embellishment(s) - or use patterned paper - with the symbol on the bear's chest.

For my layout, I chose Tenderheart Bear. Tenderheart Bear is light brown in color and has a single red heart on his chest. 

I used Kraft cardstock for the light brown color and a single red heart for one of my embellishments. I also used a heart patterned paper on my layout. All of the papers were in my April Counterfeit Kit which you can read about here.

Since the papers were pretty busy I kept my embellishing very minimal.

About the photos - one day last April, Abby and Shawn took Ada to the McDonald's so she could play in the play place, and she had so much fun! I even made a layout of the visit with a photo that Abby had sent me. You can see that layout here. It wasn't even two weeks later when we saw on the news that they were tearing down that same McDonald's to build a new one. When Abby showed Ada the photos of the building being torn down it brought tears to Ada's eyes! All she could say was that she had so much fun there! She was heartbroken that it was gone.

Thankfully, they were building a new McDonald's with a play place and it was done just a few months later. Ada has already been there several times and approves of the upgrade!

Be sure to stop by Scrap Our Stash for more inspiration from the design team. I would love to see your take on this challenge!

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

So Lucky...Scrap Our Stash Saturday Morning Cartoon Challenge

Hello, everyone! Happy Monday to you! I am finally getting over this awful cold that I have had for over a week. It's nice to feel good again!

Today is my day to share my take on the Saturday Cartoon Sketch Challenge at Scrap Our Stash. Our Saturday cartoon for March is Snoopy - who is all dressed up for St. Patty's Day - which is what inspired my layout for the challenge. Along with being inspired by the cartoon image, we are also required to use a green embellishment.

Here is what I came up with:

This shamrock paper has been in my stash since 2003! I have not idea why I have not used it before now because I have had ample opportunity - St. Patty's Day photos are a yearly tradition around here! It feels good to finally use it!

I only had 2 photos so I used the space for the third photo for my journaling. For my green embellishments, I stamped a couple of St. Patty's Day stamps and die cut them into a circle. I also added just a touch of pink by way of the hearts. The pink on Ada's shirt just pops out at me, so I decided to add in just a smidge of it.

Now for the story behind the photos and title of "So Lucky To Get One Good Photo".  Here is the journaling - Ada was not into our traditional St. Patty's Day photo shoot this year. For starters, I had bought her a new shirt for St. Patty's Day because Abby said she didn't have a lot of green and when I pulled it out she said, "Gross!" and went back to playing her video game. I finally got the shirt on her - with quite a bit of protest - and she would not look at the camera. The only way she would take a picture was if Pops was in the picture with her - and even then it was a struggle to get a "good" one! (2016)

She always has been quite the character!

Head on over to Scrap Our Stash for more inspiration every day of the week. I would love to see your take on our challenge, too!

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

Silly Faces - Scrap Our Stash Pick Your Side Challenge

Hello everyone! Happy Monday to you! I hope you are all ready for the new week.

Today is my day to be featured at Scrap Our Stash with my take on this month's Pick Your Side Sketch Challenge. Here's a look at this month's double page sketch:

For this challenge, you need to pick either the left side or the right side of the sketch to base your layout on. Along with the sketch challenge, you also must use striped pattern paper and mixed alphas. 

For my layout, I used the left-hand side of the sketch and I stuck closely to the sketch. I used a striped pattern paper for my main block behind the photos. Here is what I came up with:

I've had these photos of Ada out on my desk pretty much since the day that I took them in January! I've been trying to keep up with printing my photos so I will have them ready and waiting for me when I am able to sit down and work on my 52 Favorites or my Project Life. I knew I also wanted to use these photos on a traditional layout, so there's a good chance you'll be seeing these photos again in some form or another soon!

There's really no story behind these photos, we were playing Candy Land and she just started acting silly - making faces and talking in funny voices. I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures.

I've used Echo Parks - I am Mom - collection for my striped paper. I love the colors and those little hearts scattered about...well, I could have multiple pieces of that paper and not get tired of it! The rest of the papers and stickers are from Close To My Heart with the exception of the "love" sticker and the blue floral sticker, they are from a partial sticker sheet from a past kit from The Scrap Room.

The multiple shades of pink...kind of bother me...but I am trying to not let it! I am trying to embrace it! In person they don't look as far off as they do in the photos.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

Now, head on over to Scrap Our Stash for more design team inspiration. I hope you have some time to play along with our challenge - I would love to see your take on it!

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

Scrap Our Stash Saturday Morning Cartoons

Hello, everyone! Happy Monday to you! Are you ready for the new week? I don't know if I am, but it's here regardless!

Today is my day to share my take on the Saturday Morning Cartoons challenge at Scrap Our Stash. For February, the Saturday morning cartoon image we are to get inspiration from is Popeye and you must use heart patterned paper and/or 3 or more hearts and be inspired by the sketch:

Here is what I came up with:

Since Popeye has his main squeeze - Olive Oyl - in the image, I started with a photo of me and my main squeeze! I also tried to stick to the same colors by using grey, pink, and green - even though my green is more mint than in the image. The grey background paper is an older paper - I think from Echo Park - and the rest of the patterned papers are from Close To My Heart's - I Heart Us - paper pack. It's hard to tell because they are so tiny, but the white and black paper actually has hearts all over it.

All of the chipboard stickers are also from the I Heart Us collection and they are just so cute! I just love that typewriter! I found a pink doily and some pink sequins in my stash that matched and added those as well. Since I didn't use the big heart element from the sketch, I felt like I needed a little something more above the photo. I also moved the banners to the other side to help balance everything out. 

Here are a couple of close-ups:

Head on over to Scrap Our Stash for more inspiration from the design team. I would love to see your take on the sketch, so I hope to see you playing along with us!

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

Well Hello There - Scrao Our Stash - Pick Your Side Challenge

Hello and Happy Friday! Are you ready for the weekend? I know I am! We will be celebrating both our boys' birthdays this weekend. The oldest is 21 and the youngest is 19...wow, I feel old!

I am up on the Scrap Our Stash blog today with my take on the new Pick Your Side Challenge. For this new challenge, we are given a double page sketch and we are to pick a side of it to base our layout off of. There is also an added challenge to go along with the sketch challenge and this month it is to add flowers to your layout. Here's a look at the sketch:

For my layout, I have used the left side of the sketch. For the flower part of the challenge, I stamped a couple of different types of flowers in the same colors as my papers and used a die to cut them out. I then clustered them together.

I used Close To My Heart's - Heart Happy - collection for this layout. I knew I was going to love this collection the minute I saw it! The flower and heart stamps are also from CTMH - Prickly Pear Scrapbooking Stamp and Thin Cuts (Z3338). The title is a mix of Elle's Studio stamps and the block alpha dies from CTMH.

Here are a couple of close ups:

A little about these photos of Ada at nine and a half months old - she had been sitting on her blanket, just playing away and looking cute. The minute I pulled my camera out she got all excited and started kicking her feet like crazy. It was hard to get a photo that wasn't blurry from all of the movement! I just love the photo that looks like she is waving.

Be sure to stop by Scrap Our Stash for more design team inspiration. Have you played along with our new challenges yet? I would love to see your take on them!

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

Hulk Smash - Scrap Our Stash Saturday Cartoons Challenge

Hello, everyone! Happy Friday to you! I'm a little sad today as my oldest son is heading back to college ahead of some winter weather. It's been so nice to have him home for the last month and I will miss having him around the house, but he is not far away and will be back home in a couple of weeks for his birthday.

Today is my day to be featured on the Scrap Our Stash blog with my take on the Saturday Cartoon Inspired Challenge. Create a layout inspired by the following Saturday Cartoon Image and Sketch AND you must use 3+ stars.

For my layout, I was inspired by the superheroes, and from the sketch, I included the long banner, a large circle, 2 photos, and journaling strips, and I added in several different sizes of die cut stars.

In keeping with one of my goals for the new year, I scrapped these photos of Matthew from 2003. His Dad had taken him to see the Hulk movie and he was obsessed with it for a while. When he found these big foam Hulk hands at the store he thought they were just what he needed when he "Hulked out"! I just love his angry Hulk face in the second photo!

I pulled some older papers from my stash for this layout, and I do believe that they are all from various Echo Park collections. I fussy cut some of the words from one of the papers because they reminded of an old cartoon or comic book. 

Be sure to stop by Scrap Our Stash for more design team inspiration. I would love it if you played along with us this month!

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

Snow Much Fun - Scrap Our Stash Golden Globe Challenge

Hello, everyone! Happy Thursday to you! My son is home from college for Christmas break, my daughter has four more days of teaching before Christmas break, packages have been arriving almost daily...it's definitely feeling like a lot like Christmas around here!

Today I am up on the Scrap Our Stash blog sharing my layout for our December Golden Globe Stash Challenge. Our challenge. For this challenge, we are to be inspired by the following movie board and create a winter layout and use snowflake embellishments.

Here is my layout:

We were lucky enough to get a couple of inches of snow in early November - and it was the perfect snow for a snowman. A snow this early is not unheard of around here, but definitely rare! And as luck would have it, Scott was off of work that day and ready to build a snowman with Ada. She had so much fun rolling the snowball to make the body and packing the snow around each section so he wouldn't fall apart. It was definitely a memory making day!

For my layout I have used Simple Stories - Freezin Season - collection. The papers were perfect for this fun day. For my snowflake embellishments, I used stickers from the collection and punched more snowflakes from one of the patterned papers.

Here are a few close-ups of the embellishments:

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today. Be sure to stop by the Scrap Our Stash blog for more inspiration. I would love to see your take on the challenge, too

Have a great day!