10 Reasons We're so Happy

A layout for the Scrappiest Sketches challenge. This page came together super quickly by using a SU! Kit, some already printed photos from my film days, and the sketch.

Journaling reads "1. Santa's coming soon 2. We've been VERY good 3. We hava new little brother to share our toys with 4. We're wearing these adorable matching sweaters 5. Santa's coming soon 6. It's really toasty by this fire 7. We're having a party 8. We just ate lots of goodies 9. Santa's coming soon 10. And we've been very, very, oh so very GOOD!

Totally Smitten

A quick page using this sketch from Tempor'elles (really loving her sketches lately!). the circle on the left pulls out to reveal an additional photo (just couldn't bring myself to leave it out of the LO). Papers are DCWV, flowers are Prima, ribbon is American Crafts, buttons are from who knows where!

A new look

Just sprucing things up around here. I'll be back soon (I hope) with a couple of layouts and projects I've been working on.

Method Challenge #53

This week's challenge is up at MP: make your own patterned paper. They're flashing back to their first challenge ever (you can check that one out here). The girls at the Playground really hit it out of the park!

Here's my take:

Guess I was a bit indecisive about which technique to use to create my paper, so I tried out a little bit of everything. Hop on over to the Playground and play along with us! You have until November 1st to link up your LO.

Field Trip

My youngest went on his very first field trip last week. It was fer-eeeezing, but the kiddos did not complain one bit!
I framed this page and gave it to his class. Sorry for the ghost faces; have to protect these little cuties!

The trunk of the tree is stitched to give some bark texture. More stitching on the apple tree.

The clouds are pop-dotted for some lift.

I used this sketch from tempor'elles.

You Rock

A birthday card for my cooler than cool niece. She truly rocks!

A combination of the Mojo Monday card sketch #108 and the Scrapper's Paradise Color Combo challenge #19. Raided the jewelry box again for that bit of sparkle for the center of the star. It's not real, at least I don't think it is, otherwise my niece is going to be happy, happy :)

Stamps: Ink-a-Dink-a-Do

CS: SU!

Felt Star: Fancy Pants Designs

PP: DCWV

Bling: Glitz Design

Can't wait to have a ball on the Playground!!

I am thrilled to pieces, tickled pink, happy as a clam, and pleased as punch to be a member of this uber talented Design Team.  Be sure to come by the Playground for challenges posted every other Monday.  See you there!

Purple

A page for the Use Your Stash challenge: use paint, polkadots, and purple. I rolled that all into one with a group of purple painted polkadots!

I don't think it's done.  I almost didn't post it, but there's something about putting it up on my blog where I can see it from a distance to help bring it into perspective.  Many-a-layout has been changed after seeing it up on my computer screen.  I hope this one will be the same.  Maybe it's the no photo thing, maybe it's the amount of whitespace, or the monochromatic scheme.  My oldest said "it's too plain, it needs more stuff on it," and hubby said, "not all pages need to have lots of stuff" (ah, the latent artiste wakes from his lair--I'll get him into the stUdio painting up a storm, I just know it!)

Well anyway, it's a start, it's a WIP. I'll come back to it. I'll add photos, or maybe some patterned paper. Yep, that's what it needs. I had fun creating it--the paper towel roll stamped circles, mixing paint, embossing the chipboard letters in the Big Shot, using up purple buttons I probably won't ever use anyway.

Journaling reads: Whenever anyone asks me my favorite color, I always seem to respond purple.  The truth of the matter is I don't own any purple clothes & I don't decorate with purple.  I have the smallest stack of purple paper & the least number of purple buttons.  I guess you could say I'm actually anti-purple.

Tiny Trim

A quickie LO.  Ended up throwing on some eyelets (10 to be exact), a doodled border, and a little owl and, presto! it became a page for Dream Girls challenge.  Love a bit of spontaneous challenge playing!

Doodle

Got out my Wacom Bamboo Fun after it sat in a drawer for over a year (I know, what was I thinking!). I love this little tablet. Have a feeling I'm gonna be putting this puppy to some good use, like maybe this little project:

Is that amazing?!

Get Your Game Face On

This is the first sketch for October over at Capture These Sketches .
Here's my take:

I used the masking technique from The Creative Type again for my title. The border is created with scraps of denim--never throw out a pair of ripped jeans! The edges of each square are frayed and then stitched onto the kraft paper. The buttons (from this month's Dixie Pieces kit) are hand-stitched to the squares with embroidery floss. A few more scraps of denim and buttons to create some star accents and the page is complete.

The patterned paper is from SU!'s Sweet Slumber collection (retired).

Here's Week 2's sketch if you want to play along:

Butterfly Projects

You know how deeply in love I am with these butterflies, so it's no surprise they are popping up on little projects everywhere:

I'll never pull this headband off in public, but it's fun for a little photo shoot!

A jumbo clippie bookmark

Accent on a laptop sleeve. This is actually made from a pillow sham. Hope I can make another one and share the step-by-step with you.

Charmed Life

This month, the challenge over at Point Blank Period involves letting go of your worries. I'm not a big worrier, perhaps because I don't really have too much to worry about. Perhaps that is my biggest worry.

Here's the prompt in their words:
RULES:Use something in your layout, photo or journal that is RED. Add your take of felt or string and wrap it around your way. 3 photos or a representation of the number 3. TWISTS:Make something large and make something small .. add ORANGE and a bonus color of your choice.
And here's my take:

I placed this page on the flip side of my first layout, so I can bind these prompt pages into an album (thanks, Beth for this idea!). I enlarged the photo and reduced the opacity to create the background {something large and something small}. Some swipes with the paint brush over letter stickers creates the masked effect (and fulfills this challenge at The Creative Type). There's three punched butterflies {representation of 3}, and plenty of {orange} with a splash of {bonus color} teal. And of course I had to include a fabric butterfly {red}. I have a feeling that we'll be seeing a lot of these in the stUdio--so grateful to Lolly! The only thing I'm missing is felt or string, but I'm sticking with my record of breaking the rules at least once in a challenge!
You have all month to complete the Point.Blank.Period prompt, so hop on over and get your mojo on!
Forgot to add that I listened to this song while creating this page. Hubby woke up this morning and asked why I kept playing that song over and over again last night. It fed my mojo, it spoke to me, esp. the "not to worry, 'cause worry is wasteful and useless in times like these" part, I don't know, I needed it for this piece.

I interrupt your blog reading to bring you this fantabulous project

Ok, have you ever seen something that someone has created and loved it so much that you just had to make one, too. And it didn't matter that you had a huge list of things to do including unloading the dishwasher, changing sheets on a bed, laundry, mopping the kitchen floor, cleaning up a stUdio that saw a lot of busy-ness over the weekend. No, none of that matters because instead you have to clear a spot just big enough to set up your sewing machine and make a quick little something in a matter of minutes, and then jump on the computer so that you can share it with everyone you know. Well, that's just how awesome this little project is. Run, don't walk, over to Lolly {Queen of Crafty Goodness} Chops' place right now and check out her BE*U*T*ful stacked fabric butterflies. She is so awesome that she not only included a little step-by-step, but also some templates so that you have no excuse not to whip-up some of these fluttery friends today! I know, I am being pushy here, but seriously, these are so quick and easy and you will just love them. Here's mine: completed in about five minutes flat (it would have been faster, but I had trouble finding a button I liked). I am thinking of a hundred and one ways to use these babies. Here's what I've got so far:

1. embellies on a scrapbook page
2. focal point on a card
3. sewn onto a pillow in a grid
4. pencil topper
5. accent on a purse/bag/tote
6. sewn to one of those cheesy elastic headbands
7. hot glued to a barrette
8. magnets for the fridge
9. glued to a thumb tack
10. hanging from a mobile
11. glued to a lamp shade
12. glued to a pin back for a brooch

Ok, you get the idea. So what are you waiting for? Get sewing!

Dixie Pieces October Kit

Here is the contents of Dixie Pieces latest scrapbooking kit. If you like what you see, hurry over to get yours. They sell out fast! And check out the last layout Sherry created. Dreamy! I am sold.

He-She & Big Brother

Today was a totally dreamy day in the stUdio. The boys (all four of them) occupied themselves on this rainy Saturday morning while I thumbed-through photos. I came across these first two and was instantly reminded of the story behind their taking: Logan needed photos of his parents at their jobs for a school project. These became the perfect basis for a rare LO about hubby and I, a sort of juxtaposition of the roles we play on a daily basis (I, by far, have the funner job, but he undoubtedly makes more $$). Journaling reads: He spends his days on phone calls and meetings, surrounded by papers, at a desk, with clients, wearing suits and ties. She spends her days changing diapers and washing faces, surrounded by toys, on the floor, getting hugs and kisses, wearing sweats.

I created the He/She tags by stamping the figures on the backside of PP and cutting them out. The letters are cut with the Big Shot.

This second LO used this Pencil Lines sketch: Both of these layouts use paper from My Mind's Eye's Bloom and Grow line. Love the colors and softness of this collection.

Good Morning

This sketch is from Becky Fleck's Page Maps blog.

And here's my take:

More pictures from my film days. Being not *caught up* in my scrapbooking can make for more meaningful journaling, and more meaningful pages. It allows me to reflect on the past in its relation to the present. The journaling here reads: Looking at the two of you cozied down in our bed on a random weekday morning makes me long for these days gone by. Now our mornings are filled with the bustle of getting ready for school and rushing out to catch buses. Wish we could still have mornings like these.