Something Different

Even though my time as a design team member has come to an end over at Sketchabilities, I know I will continue going back twice a month to play with some of the best sketches around, even when they present me with challenges such as Karan's new one has done.

Sketch #50 appeared easy enough when looking at it, but I realized as I was trying to create it that I don't do so well with seemingly random placement of little bits of paper or embellishments. Apparently, I want everything to be touching or connected somehow because I fought with myself the entire time I worked on this!

This is when detailed sketches come in handy because, otherwise, I never would have attempted something like my layout. And it just so happens that I LOVE the look of what I call "random placement" layouts, despite my brain not wanting to create that way.

Do you want some inspiration from the ladies who totally rock this look? Then why don't you check out some of the layouts created by MIJA
(I would totally lift every single layout she's ever done if I didn't think she would think I was some sort of weird scrapbook stalker), LARIALBERNAZ, FINNABAIR, NICOLE NOWOSAD, and, of course, my BFF ALISSA (who does random, cards, organizing and just about everything else really well).

So, how do you feel about these types of layouts? Want to give Sketch 50 a try? If you upload your layout to the SITE by July 13th, you will be entered into a drawing to win some pretty cool scrappy goodies! Go check it out!

You Are My Sunshine

A few weeks ago when I was visiting Archiver's, they very cleverly displayed all of their LYB Sweet Summertime papers and embellies right by the front door where I would be sure to see them and sure to buy them. Archiver's is pretty ingeniously evil that way.

Rather than organizing my loot and putting it away when I got home - where I would be sure to promptly forget about it until oh...Winter 2014 maybe...I decided to keep my purchase in the bag right next to my scrapbooking table so that I bumped into every time I sat down.

I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with the papers, despite the fact that I HAD to have them, but then a couple of things happened which made everything just fall into place. I love it when that happens!

First, I was trolling all my favorite sketch sites and found this recent sketch over at Pencil Lines:

It's another very simple sketch, which I loved because I could imagine as much or as little into it as I wanted. Don't get me wrong, there are times when I love detailed sketches with every little brad and flower spelled out, but there are times like now when I want nothing more than a simple idea to work with.

Next, I was perusing the gallery on SB.com and leaving some love for my friends when I came across a great layout done by the very wonderful, talented Fritchey, found HERE. I LOVED the sun that she made - especially the hand cut "rays" that are all different sizes!

And somehow, with those two things, my layout came together! I added a couple scraps of paper from different lines - just because they were sitting on my table in the small "scraps of paper to be used pile," and the circus bear charm was used because I had placed it in the "don't forget I exist" bucket on my table. But I think the scrap papers and my circus bear were good additions (and helped me use up my supplies).

Happy SCRUMP Day! And I hope you are able to spend a little time SCRapbooking to help you get over the hUMP in the middle of the week, too!

WWAD ( What Would Alissa Do?)

I simply cannot resist a good challenge! And if I have the chance to combine a couple of challenges at the same time and give my creativity a little more of a workout, that's even better!

First, I combined two challenges over at Sweet Peach Crop Shop.

The first is the June sketch challenge to use this sketch:

I think it's a really nice sketch, easily able to be used for most scrapbooking styles. Sweet Peach also has a challenge going to use handmade paper embellishments. Those of you who know me know that I LOVE making embellishments from my papers - so completing that challenge was pretty much a no-brainer!

Secondly, my friend Alda's site, Flying Unicorn, has a Lucky 7 Challenge - this week to use 7 buttons on a layout.

Now you may be saying that's all well and good but what does this have to do with WWAD? I'm sure you've noticed my layout has none of her signature rub-ons and little brads. But, my layout does have a few other things that ALISSA has inspired me to do - things I wouldn't have otherwise thought of.

First, she taught me to keep a basket or bowl on my worktable with scrap odds and ends that I can add to my layouts - things I wouldn't otherwise think to use. See that little piece of yellow ribbon? I never would have thought of it if Alissa hadn't first found the hidden scrap and used a piece of it in one of her recent layouts! I put it in my new scrap container so I would remember it, too.

Second, she taught me that YouTube is my friend when it comes to learning new scrapbooking techniques. Actually, I already knew that; but I figured if she could take the time to post her own tutorials on YouTube, then I could take the time to see what was on there - and there's a LOT of cool stuff! I wanted to do something different with my flowers, so I found this TUTORIAL by Kristina Werner for Two Peas in a Bucket. The flowers were super easy to make and turned out well, don't you think?

Third and finally, she taught me to look at the leftovers from my punches in a whole new light. In the past, I would always immediately scrape those leftovers off my table and into my wastebasket, but not Alissa! Nope - they were fair game to be used on a layout. So, I decided to do the same...and I LOVE the result!

If you have a few minutes, take the time to stop by Alissa's BLOG and see what other wonderful, crafty ideas she has to share! Currently, she is showcasing her scrapbooking storage system, which is organized to the nth degree. She has some creative, neat storage ideas - I should know, I've stolen borrowed a few of those ideas, too!!!

A Great Day

Ever have one of those days that seems incredibly wonderful - a day when you know that all the stars must be perfectly aligned or...something?! Well, today was that day for me!

First, the work portion of my day consisted of a commute from my coffee pot in the kitchen to my study, where I got to work in...

my Nick and Nora pink flamingo pajamas (I am a Nick and Nora pajama addict!). I am working hard to make my paralegal business successful, and I am thankful every day that I am able to work from home.

Then, I headed outside to do a little relaxation therapy in the pool with Bailey...

The water was the perfect temperature, and I enjoyed being able to zone out and bask in the sun for awhile.

And, just when I thought the day couldn't get any better, I found out I won the monthly challenge over at My Mind's Eye! Me. ME!!!!!!

Check it out HERE!

I am such a thankful, fortunate, happy girl! And I hope YOU are having a great day, too!

Shabby Chic Fun over at LCOM

Yes, it's my turn to BLOG again over at Let's Capture Our Memories! This month I'm playing with Glitz Design papers and Prima products, which are perfect for shabby-chic layouts - a style favorite for me!

The pictures were taken of my youngest daughter the day before her 11th birthday when I caught her playing dress-up in her oldest sister's clothes and jewelry. Although she was "practicing" to be in her sister's wedding party (which isn't until the end of next year), I thought she looked just like a princess and ran to get my camera as fast as possible!

I used this wonderful sketch found at the LCOM SKETCH BLOG

Doesn't it look like it was tailor-made for Glitz and Prima?!?

I don't want to give any more away, so for additional details regarding how my layout was created and products used, just click the LCOM Blog link HERE!

Question of the Day: Shabby Chic is one of my very favorite scrapbooking styles (although it is SO HARD to choose). What is your favorite?

It's the 15th and You Know What That Means...

...that's right, it's time for the reveal over at Sketchabilities! Karan keeps coming up with exciting new sketches and Sketch #49 is certainly in keeping with the standard she has set! See...

I decided to add a little more to the background of my layout. But I was playing with those wonderful My Mind's Eye papers and could NOT narrow down my decision on which ones to use. So, I modified my design so I could use them ALL - LOL!

If you want more inspiration, please head over to Sketchabilities and see the takes from the other uber-talented design team members. Their layouts are TOTAL eye-candy and are guaranteed to make you want to play with your scrappy supplies!

Happy Scrump Day! (Note: Scrump = mash-up of Hump [for Hump day] and Scrap [for scrapbooking])

Fun My Mind's Eye Challenge

Here's a fun little challenge that's going on over at the My Mind's Eye BLOG until June 19th. You simply create a layout using this sketch:

Your layout must be 80% My Mind's Eye papers from any collection (I used Stella and Rose papers) and song lyrics, any song lyrics.

I chose Born This Way by Lady Gaga. While I'm not a huge LG fan, the lyrics that I used for the journaling are exactly what I want my daughter to believe about herself as she is growing up...

"I'm beautiful in my way
Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track baby
I was born this way
Don't hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track baby
I was born this way"

The prize offered to the winner by MME, by the way, is your choice of three entire collections - that was certainly enough motivation for me to play along! What about you?

How Do You Scrapbook?

Two posts in one day - a little crazy, I know! But I've got to fit in my scrapping (and blogging) time whenever I can. Today, my little girl decided to spend extra time at her best friend's house, son was off with his dad, and I had a completely quiet house - free of any distractions. What's a girl to do when that happens?! Certainly not do housecleaning or catch up on laundry!!!

Now, here's my Sunday evening question to you - how do you scrap your pictures? Do you scrap them in chronological order? Or do you scrap them using some other method? I used to go strictly by chronology, but sometimes my layouts felt forced because I didn't have the right inspiration or paper. Once I switched to using three ring albums and could easily move pages around, it was totally liberating to stop using that system! Now, I look at my papers or a sketch and generally let those things dictate which pictures I am going to use.

In this instance, I saw a new Page Maps SKETCH created by the wonderfully talented Becky Fleck. As you probably know, I am a HUGE fan of her sketches and the very instant I saw it, I KNEW I wanted to use pictures of my son with his boat project for physics - pictures that had been patiently waiting on my computer for almost two and a half months. And the layout came together perfectly - with no wailing or gnashing of teeth that sometimes used to accompany layout creations when I wouldn't deviate from chronological order.

The only downsides I can find so far are: 1) It takes longer before I can say I have completed an album (I still have one only halfway finished with pictures from almost a year ago); and 2) sometimes I forget which pictures I've used and which ones I still need to crop!

Is there a third or fourth way to organize and plan layouts? If so, let me know! And tell me what method you prefer to use - I'm curious.

My Baby Girl

Just wanted to share a couple of layouts I've recently done featuring the youngest of my brood, Hunter. She turned 11 on Friday and is growing up so quicky - too quickly! I have been remembering her baby and toddlerhood - a little melancholy that those times are forever in the past. But, I am so thankful that I have now found scrapbooking and a wonderful way to capture and record those precious, everyday moments as she grows up. And my mantra to myself this past weekend has been, "Remember yesterday but make TODAY count."

Make YOUR today count, my scrapbook friends, and tell the ones close to you how much you love them.

A Layout for My Son (Using Pencil Lines Sketch 240)

Do you ever see a sketch and know immediately what you want to do with it - which picture you want to use, the embellishments, the look? That's how I felt when I saw Pencil Lines Sketch #240. It's a fairly simple sketch design, but sometimes less is more. As soon as I saw it, I knew this sketch allowed the freedom to add stamps, rub-ons - whatever I could imagine - to make the layout personal to me. Now, of course, I could add those things to ANY sketch-based layout, but in this case, I was able to visualize the use of those elements a little easier because there were no other "distractions" for lack of a better word - make sense?

It's so easy for me to get caught up in making cute, girly layouts, especially with three daughters and an adorable niece who provide me with a never-ending supply of pictures! So, when I do get pictures of my teenage camera-shy son, I feel a little out of my creative element. At 16, he's too old for robots and dinosaurs. And I've just about used gears to death. So, my challenge to myself was to use the things I love - flowers and ribbon and charms - and create a layout that still had a masculine feel.

Although I used a delicate white lace, you can see that it is surrounded by dark flowers and charms that have an industrial look to them. The metal accents and black misting leave no doubt that this is a masculine layout - one that my son would not be embarrassed to have me display where his friends might see it!

So, what do you think? And what things do you do that may not be considered the "norm" when creating masculine layouts for the boys, young and old, in your life? Feel free to send me a link to your blog or gallery showing me your favorite masculine layouts. I would love to see what YOU have done!

Another Great Sketch Site

Just when I thought I had found all the great sketch sites on the Internet, a new one pops up and gives me the proverbial smack in the back of the head! Yep - Creative Scrappers has apparently been going strong for about the past three years and now has approximately 158 fun sketches to share! With almost 2000 followers, you KNOW their sketches have to be pretty amazing!

Not only do they reveal a new sketch each week, but they then include a design team reveal to help fuel your creativity and get you over any temporary scrappy blocks you may have! They do allow you to link up your take on the sketch at the bottom of each post so you have the chance to show off your own work - who doesn't like that?!

My layout was created using Sketch #150. As soon as I saw it, I immediately knew the picture I wanted to use. This site is definitely saved to my favorites list on my computer now, and I am sure I will be a frequent visitor!

Have any of you been to their site yet? Which sketch is YOUR favorite (if you can choose just one)???