May JumpStart Sketch Challenge at The ScrapRoom Blog

The ScrapRoom Blog has a fun sketch by Lisa Hidy for their JumpStart Sketch challenge this month:

Thanks to Tropical Storm (or is it a depression??) Alberto, we've had one rainy weekend so far, so I've been playing with paper!  Here's how I used Lisa's awesome sketch

I'm just smitten with the Travel Notes line by Simple Stories....the colors, the patterns, I just love it.  I used this line for pics of us white water rafting in the Upper Pigeon River in the Smoky Mountains.  I love a good cluster on my pages, and when I saw the doily at the top of the sketch, I knew what I wanted to do:

Simple Stories never disappoints with their fun bits & pieces. Along with some fussy-cut cameras, a bright #SUMMER flair from my favorite Etsy store, A Flair For Buttons, and a few other items, I had some cluster fun with this page!  Thanks for looking!

May 15th sketch at Let's Get Sketchy

Let's Get Sketchy has a really fun sketch up for their mid-month challenge.  It worked perfectly for me to test drive some new Art Anthology mists I picked up at Scrapbook Expo in Orlando a few weeks ago!  Here's the sketch:
http://letsgetsketchy.blogspot.com/
And here's what I did with it:

I used a Simple Stories Snap Basics notebook background and papers from Shimelle's Go Now Go and Photoplay's Boarding Pass line.  I love the warm colors for my zoo pics from the Bronx Zoo! The Chevron Background cut file is from Paper Issues.  I unlocked the image in Cricut Design Space and "smooshed" it (that's the technical term!) to create a more narrow chevron pattern.  The Boarding Pass 6x6 paper pad worked perfectly to add some patterned touches to the chevron background.

I can't get enough of the fun flair from my favorite Etsy shop, A Flair For Buttons!  So many adorable images to choose from.

Thanks for looking!

iNSD Challenges at A Cherry On Top

There are so many fun challenges running through the week at A Cherry On Top in celebration of International Scrapbook Day!  I'm generally a weekend-only scrapper, as I work full time Monday through Friday.  With a limited amount of time to participate in these fun challenges, I actually made it to my scraproom last night after dinner and made this for the Black & White Photo Challenge:

The challenge at ACOT is to use a photo in black & white and not be limited by the color scheme of the photo.  This photo in color would definitely not have been complemented by the papers and elements I used.  I'm so happy with how it turned out, because instead of a darker, drab "fall" layout, I was able to select papers and elements that were brighter and happier...I especially love the pops of yellow, which is a color I used to really shy away from!

I've had this background paper from PinkFresh Studios' Escape the Ordinary line for a while, waiting for just the right project. I picked out some scraps from Simple Stories and Amy Tangerine, with a strip of Fancy Pants Washi and embellished with some PinkFresh Studios Let Your Heart Decide enamel hearts.  I used a cut file from Lori Whitlock's SVG shop for the title.  Thanks for looking!