Sketch N Scrap Layout Sketch #167

Can you believe it's mid-December already? The 15th means there is another inspirational layout sketch up at Sketch N Scrap! With Christmas sights and sounds all around, I decided to finally scrap some Christmas pictures from 2015 and use this awesome sketch designed by Heather Hall:

And here's her fabulous sketch, which I turned on it's side!

I've had this Pinkfresh Studios Christmas paper for a while, I found it on clearance last year at WhimSoDoodle in St. Pete.  Pro: super cute paper, Con: all the embellishments were sold out.  Of all the scrapbooking goodies I collect, I really don't gravitate toward Christmas papers or embellies (which is why I have so many years of Christmas pics not scrapped LOL).  To make up for my lack of coordinating embellies, I decided to fussy-cut the gifts and trees from the patterned paper. I added a cute little gift stamp on one of the packages, and dug out some old rub-on and chipboard alphas, too.  I love the finished product!

Come join us at Sketch N Scrap and show us what you can do with this sketch, hope to see you there!

Sketches In Thyme layout sketch #352

Hi everyone! I'm sharing a beautiful sketch with you all today that is currently up on the Sketches In Thyme blog, I had a really fun time working with it:

And here's the sketch, from sketch designer Jenessa Franco:

I took the opportunity to pull out my sewing machine on this one, I just love the look of the large stitched circles!  I'm not much of a floral person, so in the place of the floral cluster I cut an oversized leaf with my Cricut and placed different patterned papers behind it.

I used mostly Echo Park Celebrate Autumn papers and stickers on this, from my November Flavors of the Month Kit from The Scraproom, with a few little odds and ends from my stash, too.  I chose to add a little more machine stitching on the tag and the leaf to tie everything together. 

Hope you are as inspired by this sketch as I was, and that you'll join us over at Sketches In Thyme!

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #135

There's a new card sketch up at Sketch N Scrap, perfect if you need a last-minute Christmas card, or for any occasion.  I know I'm going to use this one again and again.  I used it here for a Christmas card:

And here is the sketch I used, Card Sketch #135, designed by Heather Hall:

I don't have much Christmas paper in my stash, so I decided to pull out a couple pieces from a Carta Bella line called Our Family that looked "Christmas-y" to me.  I love the layered banner in Heather's sketch, and the patterned paper background.  I decided to add a few tiny black pearls scattered about the design.  

For all you Cricut users out there, check out the free labels available in Design Studio, they are ideal for cards!  The label I used on this card was a free image (I don't pay for Cricut Access).  I just unlocked it and "smooshed" it to make it shorter and wider.

Come join us at Sketch N Scrap and show us what you can do with this sketch, hope to see you there!

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #134

There's a new card sketch up on the Sketch N Scrap blog and it's sure to inspire you!  Here's the sketch, created by Lisa Hidy:

Such a sweet design! I just love the floral elements at the top, and had planned on using it exactly as shown.  But....I went a little too large with my flower, and decided to add a couple pink leaves instead:

I used a CTMH chevron embossing folder on the background and a Tim Holtz Idea-Ology stamp for my sentiment (love my hashtags!).  The floral center is something I've been wanting to play around with for a while now....after seeing the idea on Pinterest, of course!  It's a washer that I covered with patterned paper & then applied Glossy Effects.  It was fun, when I have the time I plan to make a variety of them to keep in my stash.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you playing along with us at Sketch N Scrap!

Sketches In Thyme Sketch #348

There's an awesome three photo sketch up on the Sketches In Thyme blog!  It worked perfectly for photos of my son from his 18 month photo shoot (he's about to turn 18 years....better late than never, right?)  Here's the sketch, designed by Brenshevia:

And here's my take on it:

I used some Echo Park Imagine That papers on this, along with a TWC stencil and white texture paste.  I loved the angled look to the sprinkles on the sketch, and chose to use a sketch in it's place.  Come check out this sketch, along with the others running this month at Sketches In Thyme!

Sketch N Scrap Challenge #164

The first of the month always means there's a fun, new sketch up on the Sketch N Scrap blog!  Here's my take on it:

And here's the fabulous sketch, designed by Lisa Hidy:

I really enjoyed working with this sketch because of the multi-photo design.  My 17 year old son was a good sport on Mother's Day this year and agreed to take a bunch of photos with me on our dock.  It was about to rain so I grabbed an umbrella, which ended up being a funny prop for some silly outtakes!  

I mixed it up a little with my products on this one, the background is Ella & Viv, the patterned papers are mostly Amy Tangerine's Hustle and Heart, and the die cuts are from Fancy Pants' The Bright Side ephemera pack.  I added touches of machine stitching here & there, and some matte enamel dots I picked up at The Eyelet Outlet's booth at Scrapbook Expo.  LOVE the matte look!  Please come and play along with us at Sketch N Scrap and show us what you can do with this sketch! Hope to see you there!

World Card Making Day Sketch #4 at Sketch N Scrap

The final sketch for World Card Making Day is up on the Sketch N Scrap blog and it's sure to inspire you! This fabulous design was created by Heather Hall:

I really like the layering and banner on this one, it was fun to work with! Here's my take on it:

I decided to use a wood grain banner layered over some watercolor paper that I stamped and colored in using some watercolor pencils & a water brush.  You can never have too many thank you cards on hand,  I always like to have several to choose from when I need one in a pinch!  Come on over to Sketch N Scrap and join us by playing along with this fun sketch, hope to see you there!

World Card Making Day Sketch #3 at Sketch N Scrap

The fun continues over at Sketch N Scrap for World Card Making Day! The third sketch is up on the blog and was created by Lisa Hidy:

I love the split design to this sketch, and the torn edge look.  I used my CTMH distressing tool and some scraps from my stash. The sentiment is from a package of Tim Holtz Idea-Ology chipboard phrases.

Thanks for coming by and hope you decide to play along with us at Sketch N Scrap!

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Card Sketch #132 at Sketch N Scrap

Sketch N Scrap's October 20th card challenge is up on the blog & it is a super cute sketch to work with!

I used some rich browns & sunflowers for my card, on a wood grain background:

The sentiment was cut from a sheet of American Crafts patterned paper.  I also used some AC burlap folded over a cute little Tim Holtz hanger where the flower element is on the sketch.  Even though it's in the upper 90's when I made this, it's October & I'm wanting to work with some rustic papers & fall colors!  Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check out this challenge at Sketch N Scrap, hope to see you there!

Sketch N Scrap Challenge #163

It's October 15th and that means a new sketch challenge has been posted at Sketch N Scrap! I really enjoyed creating this page of my son with a picture of him from 2004

Here is the sketch #163 created by Heather Hall that I used, it's sure to inspire you!

I decided to use one photo and in place of the second I used some layered die cuts & a puffy sticker. For the large circle element I used a Paper Issues free cut file that I converted to an SVG for my Cricut.  I love the little circles on the large circle and decided to place some buttons, puffy stickers & enamel dots sporadically around.  The papers are from my August Flavors of the Month Kit at The Scraproom using Simple Stories Lil' Dude papers, die cuts & puffy stickers.  I also used a Carta Bella 6x6 stencil & texture paste tinted black to place a few "x's" on the background, complementing the patterned paper used in the large banner:

Come join us at Sketch N Scrap to play along with this challenge and the others running this month.  You're sure to be inspired and might win a prize if you play along. Hope to see you there!

Sketches in Thyme Sketch #344

I'm up on the blog at Sketches In Thyme with Sketch #344 by Bev Code!  Here is the beautiful sketch she created:

I periodically will work on my heritage albums, I have one for my father's side and one for my mother's side of the family.  They have been a work in progress for many, many years.  When I saw this sketch, I knew it would be perfect for photos I have for a set of paternal great-grandparents:

I am very fortunate to have so many heritage photos from both sides of my family.  I love that I have a photo of them when they were younger (I believe it was approximately 1880's) and also that they lived long lives and I have a second picture of them older (from the 1940's).  Even more special on this page is that I was able to use 3 buttons that used to be on a dress worn by her.  My mom was kind enough to label a little box of buttons & lace that were given to her by my father's older sister.  She passed them on to me, knowing I'd eventually find a use for them...and I did!  More information will be documented about them in a pocket page next to this page in my album.

Thanks for stopping by, and please jump over to Sketches In Thyme to play along with this sketch and the other fabulous sketch challenges running this month!

Sketch #2 for World Card Making Day at Sketch N Scrap

The card making inspiration continues this month for World Card Making Day at Sketch N Scrap! The next sketch was created by Heather Hall:

I turned the ovals into chevrons for my card.  Loved the stitching through the middle!

Thanks for stopping by, please come join us at Sketch N Scrap for lots of cardmaking inspiration this month!

World Card Making Day Celebration at Sketch N Scrap

We're celebrating World Card Making Day at Sketch N Scrap this month! There will be a fun, inspirational sketch posted each week. Here's WCMD Sketch #1 created by Lisa Hidy:

I really enjoyed playing with this sketch!  I dug out one of my Sizzix Movers & Shapers dies for the label & wondered why I don't get it out & use it more!?  It's so cute & the perfect size for a card.  

I pulled out some Jen Hadfield Warm & Cozy 6x6 papers, and added a little twine & machine stitching.  Such a versatile design, I know I'll use it again & again!  Come on over to Sketch N Scrap and celebrate World Card Making Day with us, hope to see you there!

September Blend A Sketch challenge at Scrap Our Stash

Scrap Our Stash has another fun Blend a Sketch challenge this month.  I really enjoyed playing along with last month's for the first time.  I like taking a bit of this and a bit of that and creating something with my own blended "sketch." Here's what I did for their September challenge:

And here's the challenge:

I used the oversized label element, and banners at the top from the sketch on the right, but used the photo placement and viewfinder element from the sketch on the left.  I also really loved the strip of glasses at the bottom of the left sketch and chose to incorporate a title cluster and paper strips there that includes the required flair for the challenge.

The "Love" I used for my title is a cut file from Lori Whitlock's SVG shop.  There are SO many SVG file images, I could just browse for hours!  Thanks for stopping by & looking!

Card Sketch #130 at Sketch N Scrap

There's a new sketch up on the blog over at Sketch N Scrap that is sure to inspire all of you creative card makers out there!

Here's the sketch I used to create this card, Sketch N Scrap #130 designed by Lisa Hidy:

  What a FUN sketch to work with, those strips are just perfect for using up scraps, or a 6x6 pad, and the placement of the floral elements is so eye-catching!

I decided to use up some scraps left over from a layout I made about a scrapbooking retreat.  There were just too many cute little embellies left over on the EP I'd Rather Be Crafting sticker sheet.  This will make a great birthday card for one of my crafty friends, with the sentiment stamped inside.  I also used a CTMH stamp called Created to Create as the background for the square element.  Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to join us at Sketch N Scrap to play along.  Hope to see you there!

Sketch N Scrap Sketch Challenge #161

It's September 15th and that means the mid-month sketch challenge is up on the Sketch N Scrap blog!
I've met an incredible group of people in the past year with the Scrap N Roll scrapbooking retreats.  One of my long-time scrappy friends and I have enjoyed getting away and scrapping, participating in the fun and games, and just relaxing.  We've met some of the nicest ladies, it's always good to meet like-minded crafty ladies who "get it" when it comes to crafting! LOL  I used the Sketch N Scrap #161 sketch to document one of our get-aways:

Here's Heather Hall's awesome sketch that I used for this page, I was immediately drawn to the circle design:

This sketch was a lot of fun to work with because the circles in Heather's design created a perfect opportunity to layer embellishments and cluster....and if you know me, you know I LOVE a good cluster!

I decided to use my Wonky Circle die for the circle elements in the sketch design, I just love the stitched look on the edges. I mixed several different manufacturers on this page, starting with the floral base from Echo Park's I'd Rather Be Crafting line.  The blue background is a random sheet of Close to My Heart paper from my stash & I machine stitched a double border around the edge, in keeping with the "crafty" theme.  The chipboard embellies are from Simple Stories' Crafty Girl line, I just love those chipboard girls, so cute! I added some cardstock stickers from the EP line, the flowers and this adorable tape runner I layered under my title:

Thanks so much for stopping by, and be sure to go to Sketch N Scrap and play along with this sketch challenge and the others running this month!  You can win a terrific prize, but you have to play along for a chance to win, hope to see you there!

Sketches In Thyme #340

Sketches In Thyme's current sketch, #340, is fun & full of possibilities!

When I saw it, I immediately thought of a celebration with the banner running across the top.  I decided to use up some of the last papers and embellies I had from Echo Park's Happy Birthday Boy line:

The largest layer turned into a fun, wonky frame on my page.  I had a lot of fun splattering the background with 2 different colors of blue.  I added a little machine stitching, a scribble circle cut file, a camera cut file, and of course the fun birthday banners!  Be sure to hop on over to Sketches In Thyme to check out this sketch & the others running this month. Hope to see you there!

Case File #260 at CSI

Case File #260 over at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration is so inspiring, I decided to take another crack at the case this month.  Here's what I came up with this time:

It's not too often these days that all of our schedules allow us to take a day to escape.....AND for the weather to cooperate, too.  Recently, we were lucky enough to be able to escape for the day & take the boat out to Matlacha.  The boys fished while I got some sun. We saw dolphin and a manatee, and docked the boat at a little restaurant for lunch.  I documented a picture from this day on my page, and will add journaling in a corresponding 6x12 pocket page with extra pictures.

Here's The Scene for CSI's Case File #260:

The word escape, the nautical elements & beautiful florals were immediately inspiring to me, and while I didn't use any nautical embellishments on my page, it inspired me to create a layout of my son and I out on our boat...."escaping" the day-to-day hustle and bustle for a little while.  From The Evidence file, I used a solid white background, floral elements, and stripes created with brush strokes of watercolor.

I used Simple Stories' Hello Summer papers and die cuts, and the circle element is a Paper Issues free cut file.  I used a gel medium and a 12x12 stencil from The Crafters Workshop for the plus signs.  The gel resisted the watercolor, allowing them to show through after I applied the brush strokes.  Thanks for looking!

August Let's Get Sketchy and CSI challenges!

The August 1st sketch challenge at Let's Get Sketchy caught my eye recently!  The sketch by Brenshevia is so cool, offering the chance to use up some scraps with all of the paper strips in the design:

I decided to use the Travel Notes line from Simple Stories and some pics from a trip my son & I took to Washington D.C. in 2015. 

The airplane was a last-minute decision to add onto this, and I totally lifted the idea from a page by one of Carta Bella's designers. I stenciled the "sky" with some tinted texture paste & a Carta Bella stencil, then added a few die cut clouds, too.

For the challenge over at CSI: Colors, Stories, Inspiration, I drew inspiration from their August 15th case, and tried to solve it:

The clues at the scene that I used were a solid white background, stripes, camera, travel-themed embellishments & an airplane.  I used more of a primary color palette, but I did pick up on the sky blue from the scheme to create my sky/airplane cluster. For the testimony, I documented a trip my son and I took together to Washington D.C.  Getting there IS half the fun!  Thanks for looking!

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #128

Hello everyone! There's a new sketch up on the Sketch N Scrap blog today, and it is SO cute!  I decided to pull out my texture paste and a Prima doily stencil I've had for a while and have fun with it!

Here's the sketch by Lisa Hidy:

I decided to use the sketch in a square format and used a Simple Stories Snap! Basics 6x6 woodgrain background.  The patterned paper I used for the strip and tab are from my scraps.  I also used paper scraps and a Waffleflower butterfly die for the butterflies.  

I dug the flowers and leaves out of a mound of flowers I have in an old wooden tool caddy on my shelf.  I think the red popping off the woodgrain worked well.  They've been in that tool caddy for years, just waiting for the right project LOL ;) 

Thanks for looking & stopping by....and be sure to check out this challenge and the other great sketch challenges running in August at Sketch N Scrap. Hope to see you there!