Sketch N Scrap November Crop Challenge #3

Hello and Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a good weekend. The weather switch has flipped to winter for a couple of days here. The high temp for the next couple of days is supposed to be the upper 30s... I'm not quite ready for that kind of cold! At least it only lasts for a couple of days, and then we are back to the 60s again.

Today I am sharing the layout I made for Sketch N Scrap's November Crop Challenge #3. This challenge can be found at Sketch N Scrap's Monthly Challenges private Facebook group, and this is our small-format sketch challenge. Along with the challenge, there is an added twist. This month's twist is a 5,4,3,2,1 challenge. You need to add 5 of one item, 4 of another item, 3 of another, etc. For example, 5 patterned papers, 4 stickers, 3 enamel dots, 2 hearts, and one photo. Keep reading below to find out what I used on my layout.

Here is a look at the sketch:

I am working on my 2023 December Daily, and this sketch was perfect for one of the stories I wanted to tell. 

I know I say this every time, but I loved working with this sketch! I love that I was able to use so many different papers, and I always love it when a big circle is included! 

To satisfy the challenge, I used 5 patterned papers, 4 sticker-backed brads, 3 gift stickers, 2 hearts, and 1 photo.

This story is of the day I took Shane to pick out his wrapping paper. We have been doing this for several years, and it is one of the things he looks forward to most during the holiday season. We were later than usual this particular year, but he had no trouble picking out a couple of rolls! 

I will pair this layout with a pocket page that will hold more photos and the story.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

The "I (heart) the holidays" sticker and "a (heart) full of cheer" sticker were perfect for the title. Shane loves Christmas so much and talks about it all year long!

I used the Simple Stories Make It Merry collection for this layout. I love, love, love this collection, and while it was hard to cut into some of my favorite papers, I am so happy to have them on this layout.

Here is how it looks paired with the pocket page:

Be sure to check out the private Facebook group for all of our November crop challenges. You can find it here - Sketch N Scrap's Monthly Challenges.

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

So This is Finland - Counterfeit Kit Challenge #1

Hello and Happy Sunday! 

It's time for the first challenge at Counterfeit Kit Challenge. For this first challenge, Tina is challenging us to use globes on our layouts. Here is what I came up with:

I was so happy I had included that paper with the globes on it in my kit! I also used a stamped globe as an embellishment. 

About the photo - earlier this year, my son took his first vacation abroad. When I found out he had a connecting flight in Finland, I asked him to please get a photo of Finland for me. When I was in junior high, I had a pen pal from Finland. We kept in touch all through our school years and even after we'd both gotten married and started our families. I always thought it would be so cool to see Finland and where she came from. A couple of years ago, I decided to see if I could find her on Facebook. I knew she had moved to Sweden, but that was about it. I did find her, and it has been so cool to reconnect with her after all of these years!

Not only is this photo special for that reason, but my son barely had enough time to get from one plane to the next. He still stopped long enough to get me a photo of Finland.

For this layout, I used a sketch from the October 2025 PageMaps sketches:

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I love how this layout came together!

Be sure to check out the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog to see how the design team took on this challenge.

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

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!

You're So Cool... Sketch N Scrap #308

Hello, hello! Happy Monday to you! I hope your week is off to a good start! It's rainy here today with the threat of severe storms later this evening - yuck! - so I am going to keep this quick. 

Today I am sharing the layout I made using Sketch N Scrap's November 1st sketch. Here is a look at the fun sketch Lisa has created for us to use:

And here is my layout:

I had so much fun creating with this sketch and I pulled out a few supplies I haven't used in ages! I started with my everyday mini-kit in my Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash November kit. Then, I pulled out my gold color shine mist and sprayed it around on the background paper. I then stamped the zigzag stitch around the entire outer edge of the cardstock. I needed a way to add my title without covering up too much of the smiley face paper, so I cut a circle from some vellum to add my title onto. To help them stand out a bit more, I inked the edges of all of the vellum pieces.

I've had a pack of rub-ons from Shimelle for ages that had a row of gold hearts on it. The package says 2014 - so I wasn't sure if they would still work- but they worked beautifully! I added them under the photo and they go so well with the gold mist.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

The wood veneer pieces and phrase stickers have made a couple of appearances in my stash bash kits this year and I am so happy I was able to add a few to this layout!

I struggle with getting the "you're" centered right on the circle. I did end up pulling the stickers back up - yes, I had already glued them down - and rearranging them. They still are not perfect, but I am okay with that!

I love how this cluster turned out! It's nothing fancy but it makes me happy!

I will probably add a few lines of journaling under the photo to tell the story of the photo. Ada had gone grocery shopping with Abby and me, and we had to stop by 7 Brew for a quick pick-me-up. Ada had gotten a chiller, so it was nice and cold, and the store was super cold cause it was summer, and Ada was freezing while we were shopping. Abby took her to the clothes and she picked out a cute Mickey and Minnie hoodie and the cutest hat that was marked down super cheap. She put them on straight away and just looked so stinkin' cute hanging out in the cleaning supplies aisle!

Be sure to check out Sketch N Scrap for more inspiration. 

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

Hello Summer - Sketch N Scrap's 11th Birthday Bash Sketch #2

Hello, everyone! Happy Friday to you! We have made it to the long holiday weekend - the unofficial kick-off to summer! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? Today the girls - Abby, Ada, and myself - are headed to Branson for a girl's day. I will be stopping by Cecilia's Samplers to do a little cross-stitch shopping and then we are headed to WonderWorks. Ada went there for her class trip earlier this month and wanted to go back, so we are headed there today. Later this weekend we will be helping Abby and Ada move, and for the rest of the weekend, we will be resting!

Today I am sharing the layout that I created using Sketch N Scrap's 11th Birthday Bash Sketch #2. Here's a look at the sketch:

And this is what I came up with:

This was such a fun sketch to work with! I love all of the layers and it is a great sketch to showcase a special photo. I used my May kit for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash for this layout, and I even managed to get a couple of items from my bashket onto this layout.

The photo is of Ada and Pops two summers ago - living their best life - jumping into the pool. They always have so much fun in the pool! I will add a bit of journaling under the photo. 

The papers from this Simple Stories 'Summer Vibes' collection are so fun to work with. I did add a little stenciling to the white background paper. I felt like it was just too plain without something on it. I'm not the greatest at stenciling but I am happy with the results.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

For this cluster, I punched a circle for my cluster base, added a chipboard camera with another chipboard circle on top of it, and another chipboard circle to the side. All of these chipboard pieces were in my bashket. I added three phrase stickers and a few circle stickers from the sticker sheet to finish it off.

The title came from the sticker sheet and the flags were in my bashket.  They were the perfect shade of pink and I am so happy to get two more of them on a layout!

Be sure to check out the Sketch N Scrap blog and the Sketch N Scrap Monthly Challenges Facebook group for all of the fun that we have been having this month. We would love to see you playing along, too!

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

Sketch N Scrap's 11th Birthday Bash Sketch #1

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

Today I am sharing the sketch and the layout that I created for Sketch N Scrap's 11th Birthday Bash! This is the first of three new sketches this month to celebrate eleven years of providing free sketches to our loyal readers.

Here is the sketch:

And my layout:

For this layout, I used Echo Park's Little Dreamer - Boy collection. This photo is of Shane when he was not quite two. We were at my sister's house and he was just chillin' out on their big oversized ottoman. From the looks of it, he is probably watching a video or cartoon on tv. This photo was taken about 22 years ago and it seems like it was just yesterday! My how time has flown by!

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I did a bit of stamping on this layout. The white of the background paper just needed a little extra something. I die-cut several stars and fussy cut out a speech bubble for my embellishments.

I added phrase stickers to serve as journaling. The sticker book had the little star stickers in it, and I thought they would make cute little bullet points. I may go ahead and add some handwritten journaling down by the stamped stars at the bottom of the page if I feel like it needs it. 

The title piece was in the die-cut pack and I thought it was perfect for the title. I added a few more die-cut stars and called it good. I can't believe I didn't even add enamel dots on this one!

Be sure to check out the Sketch N Scrap blog to see more inspiration from the design team. We hope you play along with us!

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

Smile - Sketch N Scrap #269

 Happy Friday and Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope that you have had a good week and that you are ready for your weekend.

Today I am sharing the layout that I created using the March 15th sketch at Sketch N Scrap. Here is a look at the sketch that I created:

This sketch came about when I pulled my Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash bashket items for February. I found a bunch of 3x4 papers that I had gotten in a swag bag kit from Paper Issues quite a while back. Like, at least 3 years ago, but probably longer. I used to love getting their swag bags and doggie bags filled with tons of embellishments and paper cut-offs. I see they no longer offer the swag bags but still have the doggie bags...I may have to order one again!

Anyway, I had included several 3x4 papers in my kit and quite a few of them were black and white. I wanted to create a sketch where I could use those black and white papers on a layout and get them out of my stash. This sketch is what I came up with,

Here is my layout:

Since I was using black and white 3x4 papers, I knew I wanted to add lots of color by way of my embellishments. I pulled out my March kit for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash and my bashket and went to work! I found the rainbow diagonal stripe paper and thought that would be a good way to add color. Then I went through the die-cuts that I had added to my bashket and was able to get quite a few used on this layout. 

This photo is of me and my girls on our girl's day back in February. We had so much fun that day and have plans for another one in just a couple of weeks when they are on spring break. 

Here are a few close-ups:

Since our focus item this month is enamel dots/bling, I made sure to get quite a few on this layout! 

I found this ticket on my scrap room floor. I thought the colors went well and I really liked what it said - perfect for our girl's day, so I added it to my layout. That ticket, the puffy hearts, and the title are the only things that were not in my kit.

This area here on the sketch showed three enamel dots. I turned it into another cluster area.

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

Be sure to check out Sketch N Scrap for more inspiration using this sketch.

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

Happy Together - LM #640 - World Wildlife Day - and Sketch N Scrap #268

 Hello, hello! Happy Sunday to you! I hope you are having a good weekend. It's been another beautiful weekend here but they are calling for colder temperatures later this week. 

It is time for a new theme and a new set of challenges at Lasting Memories this week. We are celebrating some special days in March that you just might not know are special! March 3rd is National Wildlife Day and so our first challenge is to create a layout and add an animal to it in some way. This can be in the patterned paper, an animal in your photo, or an animal embellishment. You do not have to scrap about an animal, but you can if you want to!

This is what I came up with:

For this layout, I scrapped a photo of Ada and her puppy, Winnie. They were both just hanging out on our bed, enjoying each other's company.

I used my March kit for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash. Everything on this layout was either in my kit or in my basket that is almost to overflow! I did have to go in search of a scrap of paper to mount floral paper onto so I would stand out on that white background, and I found a piece of mint from another Simple Stories collection - Sunkissed - that was perfect. 

I tried to add some stenciled hearts on the background but just felt like it didn't look right, so I stuck with the white background. 

I based my layout on the fabulous March 1st sketch from Sketch N Scrap:

I love sketches with big blocks of paper. I always try to find my favorite paper to use there to show it off.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I put a few of the items that I have added to my bashket the last couple of months to good use on this layout. I went through all of those die-cuts that I added in February and pulled anything that was yellow, pink, orange, or mint. I was able to get quite a few on this layout. The "You are pretty sweet" sticker was from one of the old My Mind's Eye sticker sheets. 

This "happy" die-cut has been in several of my kits over the last few years. I am happy to have it finally on a layout! When I found the "together" die-cut, I thought it was a perfect way to finish off the title.

I managed to use a total of three tags from the tag cut-apart paper in my kit. Now that I have actually cut into that paper, maybe I will get them used on more projects this month. I finished off each cluster area with our focus item at Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash - enamel dots.

I love how this layout turned out!

Won't you join us at Lasting Memories and at Sketch N Scrap this month? We would love to see your beautiful creations!

I will be back soon to share another project with you. 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!

                                                                                        

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!

Puppy Secrets - Sketch N Scrap #264

Hello, hello! Happy Sunday and Happy New Year! I always say this, but I cannot believe that it is the first day of the new year. The older I get, the faster the years seem to go!

Let's kick the new year off right with a new sketch from Sketch N Scrap. Lisa is getting us started with a fun one-photo sketch:

And this is what I came up with:

For this first layout of the new year, I have used Simple Stories Pet Shoppe and Pet Shoppe Cat papers. When these collections came out I didn't even give them a second look. I really wasn't interested in any more pet collections - I need to use up what I already have - but then I saw them in person at Scrapbook Generation and realized that the majority of the patterns were pretty generic - and in colors that I love! I didn't buy much - just the papers that I really loved and knew that I could use easily. I loved these papers so much that when I saw Scrapbook Generation had them on their end-of-year sale I may have ordered more.

This photo is of Winnie and Willie back when Winnie was new to the family. It didn't take Willie long to warm up to her and when Abby brings her over to be a "country dog" they have the best time together. I loved this photo of the two of them sitting on the deck. In reality, Willie is probably sniffing her, but to me, it looks like he is telling her a secret.

Since I didn't have any embellishments, I just made do with some odds and ends - enamel dots, wood veneer, a label, stamps, and punched circles from one of the pattern papers. 

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I am making it a point to use my stamps more on my layouts this year. Ideally, I would like to do some sort of stamping on every layout, if possible. I stamped a phrase on a label for this layout:

Be sure to check out the Sketch N Scrap blog to see the sketch and the lovely layouts from the rest of the design team. I hope you have a chance to play along with us!

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