Happy Hearts (Practical Scrappers)

 

Who's happy today?  I am!  Why?  Because PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS has a new sketch reveal by Liz Chidester that is featured on today's blog!  And if that isn't enough to get you motivated, I think all the wonderful layouts we girls created are sure to inspire you!  (If I do say so myself)

 

I LOVED this month's sketch, even though I didn't follow it exactly - and that's okay because it means that I can play with it again!  Here is my layout, featuring my baby boy and his favorite gal (besides his mama):

 

 

I used wonderful papers by AMERICAN CRAFTS - I am loving evey single one of their new collections that have been released recently.  I cut out my background shaped heart paper using my Silhouette and then sewed and glued the leftover hearts on my stitched circle. 

 

 

I also L-O-V-E-D these vellum hearts that I found at Archiver's a few weeks ago.  More heart shapes from my background "heart paper" were glued on the little arrow at the bottom of this picture.

 

Thanks for stopping by!  That's it for me today, but be sure to head over to PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS and leave a little love!  And, of course, you can ALWAYS leave a little love for me here, too!

A Pinterest Inspired Layout with Practical Scrappers

 

Do you love Pinterest? You do?! Well, so do I! That's why I was more than happy to jump into this Practical Scrappers' challenge to create something scrapalicious using some of my Pinspiration. And boy howdy do I have a lot of it! Don't believe me? Check it out HERE! To see what my pinspiration was for this layout, check out today's post at PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS.

 

Of course, I could not resist using papers and embellishments found in CRATE PAPER'S 14 Collection. Here are a few close-ups so you can see just how delicious this collection is:

 

Love all the hearts that came with this collection.  I layered them and sewed on them until they were juuussst right.

Check out the bottom of my layout.  I cut the bottom of my paper pink paper along the zig zag and created a space between the two pieces of paper.  I placed these fussy cut hearts into the open space and sewed several lines across each one.  I left my threads uncut - a technique I've seen my friends AUDREY, HEATHER, and LISA use and that I've decided I like.

Sweet little alpha stickers make up the title of my layout.

That's it for me today. But before I go, did you hear the good news? I am so excited and happy to tell you that, in addition to playing with Practical Scrappers, I am now also on the design team for (insert drumroll here) PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO!!! Whoo-Hoo!!! To find out more info, check out the post right above this one!

Happy Wednesday, and Happy Scrapping!

She's a Tween (Practical Scrappers)

Happy Friday everyone!  I'm off to the office this morning, where I will be gazing out my window daydreaming about my upcoming weekend of scrappy fun...doing a little online shopping...er, planning my next vacation...ahem, I mean diligently working hard at...work type...stuff.

So anywho, even though Friday is always an awesome day, it is even more so today because I am up over at the Practical Scrappers blog today - whoo hoo!  Want to know what the PS blog is all about?  Well, I'm not going to tell you - you will just have to check it out by clicking on the link right here -------> PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS.

 

Oh!  Before you go - want to see a few close-ups and find out a little bit more about my fun layout that I completed last weekend at my crop?  Here you go:

 

I used AMERICAN CRAFTS' Ready Set Go papers (which I lurrrrvvvvv) - the little word bubbles that I fussy cut were perfect for my layout about my tween.

 

 

Of course, my layout wouldn't be complete with a cluster of goodies somewhere.

 

 

I loved combining the images on my papers with stickers, rub ons and pop-dotted buttons and paper pieces to create layers.  No sewing machine at my crop - no problem!  I just doodled instead (on everything)!

 

 

That's all for me.  Now go forth and scrapbook!

Best Friends - More Practical Scrappers

Our challenge today over at PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS was to find 10 different ways to use ribbon.  Because I am obsessed with banners, I decided to make a small one using ribbon in place of twine to hold my banner together.  The "pennants" of my banner (along with every other piece of paper on this layout) are from TERESA COLLINS' gorgeous Everyday Moments Collection.  This line of papers was perfect for this snapshot of my two oldest daughters at the younger one's recent wedding shower.

Here's a close-up of my ribbon banner:

I loved using all the whites, light blues, and pale grays in this collection, but I wanted to make sure the layers stood out, so I decided to machine stitch my border and my ribbon in contrasting black and I outlined each piece of paper in black marker.  I love the added dimension the black outlines give everything.

I also added pop dots behind several pieces like this one to help them stand out a little more.

 

Can you tell how much I love layers on my layouts???

 

That's all for me today.  Want more inspiration for that ribbon stash you've been hoarding - be sure to check out all the other wonderful ideas at PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS!

Remembering the Good Times...

We just came back from one of the best family vacations I have ever been on.  It started out with a long road trip, where we played the alphabet game, sang songs, napped, talked about anything and everything, and stopped at convenience stores and produce stands; and it ended in Florida on a beach with white sand, gentle waves, and beautiful turquoise water.  We didn't do anything particularly special once we got there, but that's exactly what made our vacation so wonderful.  We relaxed.  We played on the beach.  We spent time together.  And we didn't rush anywhere - not once.

Of course, a vacation means pictures, and I still managed to take lots (and lots and lots) of them.  For my first layout using my vacation photos, I chose to go with Heidi Swapp's Sugar Chic Collection.  I had just finished using it for another layout, one that didn't use beach pics.  I still had the papers out and being the completely lazy innovative person that I am, I decided they would do quite nicely for my beach-themed photos, too!

I used a punch to make my flowers - so simple and so pretty!  The small journaling tags were actually from October Afternoon's 9 to 5 Collection, but they matched perfectly so I decided to use them.

If one layer is good, five is better.  Add a little paint and some stitching, and it's practically perfect (in every way)!

I wanted to get Hunter's impressions and thoughts from our vacation, so I conducted a quick interview and typed out her answers.  I fashioned a pocket from the paper behind the pictures, and I made a simple little booklet to place in it, with a picture on the outside and my daughter's answers to my questions inside. 

Vacation may be over, but we have those wonderful memories filed away - just waiting for us to pull out and read (and remember) in the years to come.

Happy Summer, and Happy Fourth of July!

Practical Scrappers - Summer Layouts and Cards

I have so much fun with PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS- especially when the challenge is to design a layout and card about one of my favorite seasons - summer! I created this using a recent CREATIVE SCRAPPERS sketch from its Sunshine Crop along with a favorite pic of one of my daughters and her guy taken last year when they were at the beach surfing

The sketch really caught my eye because of all the layering, and I am very happy with the end result!

I think muted papers are just about perfect for beach layouts.  And I really, really like the messy ink-splattered effect on these lovely patterned papers by We R Memory Keepers.  As far as I am concerned, a little messiness is always a good thing!

I thought the "name" of this paper - Down by the Sea - was perfect for my title.  So I cut it out and added it to my layout, on my picture.  See?  Some may call it laziness; I prefer to call it ingenuity.

I love summer SO MUCH that I also created a summer-themed card for Practical Scrappers two days ago.  Of course, it was a piece of cake.  I simply used the bright papers and the adorable stickers from my Echo Park Hello Summer Collection.  I added a few buttons and a little bit of baker's twine and I was done.  Quick and cute!

And that's it for the day!  Hope you are having a lovely start to YOUR summer!

Playing Along with October Afternoon

I spent the better part of my day creating layouts for calendar pages for one of my daughters, so after I had that all wrapped up, I was more than ready to try something fun for myself.  A quick perusal of the World Wide Web took me to October Afternoon's BLOG which is full of fun challenges, including a 9 to 5 Sketch Challenge (using a sketch made by Jill Sprott).

I didn't have any pictures of my family members that I wanted to use for this challenge, and my kids flat out refused weren't available for me to take some quick photos, so I decided to create a layout about something I enjoy doing in my spare time (when I am not scrapbooking).  What is that, you ask?  I'll tell you.  It's reading on my Kindle, in my favorite comfy chair, with a hot cup of coffee by my side.  It's one of my favorite ways to relax in the evening.

I followed the sketch pretty closely, but I decided to layer my photos and random embellishments on top of the grid pattern - something that seems to be pretty popular right now.  I placed pop dots under all three of my photos and a few of my embellies to add dimension.

Journaling was kept simple.  A little handwriting that incorporated my title into what I had to say.

And that's it.  I am really liking all these "office collections" that are coming out lately.  I think for a "real challenge" I may bring a few items back from my office and try to incorporate those into my next layout!  How do you feel about these collections?  Love them, hate them, or indifferent?

Celebrating One of My Favorite Things with Practical Scrappers

I will let you in on a little secret.  Today is my birthday.  Yippee!!!  And what better way to celebrate than by showing you one of my very favorite things to do on a layout.  What is it?  Can you guess?  It's machine stitching!  And PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS chose today, of all days, to do a post on machine-stitched layouts.  Coincidence?  I think not!  So, of course, I contributed with this layout, on which I machine stitched just about anything that could possibly move.  And the little pieces (like the diamond-shaped pieces of paper) that I was too lazy were too little to be easily stitched - I just doodled around those edges so they would look stitched, too.

To get started, I used a wonderful sketch by the very talented Amaryllis found over at SCRAP THAT, a kit club where my bestie, ALISSA, is a design team member.  Papers are from Pink Paislee's Prairie Hill Collection, and my shaped papers were cut out using my Silhouette.  The picture you see?  It is one of my second daughter's engagement photos that I am totally in love with!  Let me warn you, there are about 50 more pictures from her engagement shoot that I am also "totally in love with" so you will be seeing quite a few more!  So gird your loins! (ha! - I love using that phrase)

I love the pops of color this cluster of flower adds.  They are by Basic Grey, but I thought they worked quite well with this layout.

Machine sewing across chipboard alphas is a great look, I think.  Don't be afraid, your sewing machine should be able to handle it quite easily as long as you go slowly.

I love adding a zig zag stitch as a way of defining my border near the edges of my layout.  Smaller pieces of paper use a simple straight stitch - sometimes once around and sometimes twice around the paper - almost always deliberately NOT straight, because I like the "messy" look it provides.  You can see that my small diamond shapes have doodling in brown marker that matches the thread I used in my machine stitching.  Even my photo has a zig zag stitch going across it as an accent (and to hold my twine in place).

Layers + stitching = LOVE!!!

That's all for today.  Now, I am off to have breakfast with my oldest "babies" but, before I go, I wanted to leave my birthday wish for YOU.  Celebrate life.  Celebrate it every day.  Document it.  LIVE it.  Enjoy the beauty and the wonder and the excitement (and even the uncertainty) that is each new day.  I love you all and look forward to spending my next year with you!

Hugs and Kisses!

Sketch #134 - Come Play with Us!

It's that time again over at LET'S CAPTURE THESE SKETCHES - a new fantastic sketch and a lot of wonderful inspiration by the design team members.  This layout is my take on Sketch 134, with a series of photos of my youngest showing me her newly acquired front somersault skills into our pool.  She doesn't yet have the rotation fully complete but, as often as she practices, it won't be long!

I used Echo Park's Hello Summer papers (totally loving that collection!) and embellishments.

I placed pop dots behind several of the (completely, totally adorable) stickers to add a little dimension.  The pinwheel sticker is attached to an ordinary tootpick and had a tiny button glued to the front - so easy to do and such a cute end result!

I doodled on just about every piece of paper and embellishment to make everything stand out.  Love the effect, and it was a lot quicker than machine sewing.  This little bird was fussy-cut from a scrap piece of paper.  Instead of worrying about cutting out his teeny-tiny legs, I simply cut them off and then drew them on my paper with a marker before gluing the bird to my page - much, much easier!



Some simple journaling and my layout was finished.

That's it for now, but be sure to stay tuned for some more fun crafty news later today!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Echo Park Sketch Challenge

I have been enjoying a few days of "me" time (which has been pure Heaven!), and I actually had enough spare time to play along with this fantastic Sketch Challenge over at Echo Park's BLOG.    I love Lori Whitlock's Hello Summer collection and have been waiting for the opportunity to break it open and play with it.  And this seemed to be the perfect time!

After spending a good 30 minutes sorting through the papers because I had such a hard time limiting myself to choosing just a couple of the uber-adorable sheets of paper, I decided on the patterned papers you see with an orange background.  And after being absolutely, positively sure I had exactly the papers I wanted and gluing everything down, I came to the conclusion that, while cute, the orange background didn't give me quite the crisp summer look I was going for.  So....I ripped and cut the patterned papers away from it and put them against the white cardstock that you see.  Perfect!  Sadly, the lovely orange paper from the Hello Summer collection became a casualty - there wasn't enough left in good condition to save - but I think the end result made the sacrifice worthwhile!

Of course I HAD to fussy cut these wonderful flowers from the paper they were on and use them in a cluster.

I also fussy cut these little bees, and I doodled on just about every piece of paper and embellishment on this layout!

What kind of journaling would a dog have about summer?  Well, I think it might look a little bit like this...

That's it for now.  Stay tuned - Let's Capture These Sketches, Lori Whitlock projects, and Practical Scrappers fun coming soon!!!