HMITM Challenge

HOP is on a brief few days respite from challenges for the Use Your Stash month (now extended into February!), so I thought I would try the weekly challenge at How Much is Too Much. The challenge is to create a layout using:

1 color (you can use a neutral color in addition to the one color if you want to)
1 die cut shape
1 bird, butterfly or wild animal accent
1 sheet of patterned paper (or less)
0 letter stickers
7 other items

I chose green with my neutral being brown/beige. For my 7 elements, I used rub-ons, stamps, Glimmer Mist, ribbon, a cardstock sticker, brads and a punch. The paper on here is from K & Co. Rub-ons are Colorbok. The Die-cut journal spot is My Little Shoebox. The stamps are from Michael's dollar bins & the Glimmer Mist is Spanish Moss.

Steampunkeroni

So, unfortunately I have no sketch today, but there are some layouts I would like to share. I did these for the Use Your Stash challenges at House of Paper. One think I really have been trying to do is use my favorite papers, instead of just thinking how much I like them when I thumb past them in my Cropper Hoppers. So, this week I have been digging into my G45 stash & using my Steampunk Debutante...

For this first layout, I used an awesome paper flower tutorial from Jinky's Crafts Blog. This is my variation. I paired the G45 with papers from K&Co. and houndstooth die cuts from Teresa Collins.

For this next layout, I used pretty much all G45, but threw in a little of Sassafras Indie Girl. The metal flowers and chain are from a necklace that I bought really cheap at Claire's (love it when they have dollar sales!) and took apart...

I do have to say, these challenges are really helping inspire me and get me scrapping! I suggest stopping over and checking it out :)

Challenge Day #2

I got two of the challenges done today:
Chiara's 2nd Challenge was to create a layout using ribbon & buttons. I did just the thing with this Easter layout. I used paper from Crate's Restoration line. The ribbon is just plain, white ribbon that I stamped with acrylic paint to create the swirl. I also stamped the "Precious" in the corner and traced it with Stickles.

The second challenge that I got done was Karen's Flower Challenge (#2 for those of you playing the home edition). This one gave me the chance to use some insanely old Daisy Ds paper in my stash as well as really pushing my limits (extra points for using flowers on a Manly layout). I also used some papers from K & Co. and chipboard from Colorbok. To make the flowers n here, I cut circles in three different sizes on my Cricut, sanded the edges, and then attached them together with a brad. After that, I sprayed them with a distressing ink and some pewter Glimmer Mist. While they were wet, I crumpled & folded them to distress them more.

I have also managed to finally finish our vacation album, so hopefully I will be able to post some of those layouts later :)

Happy Scrapping!

And so it begins...

The Use Your Stash Challenge has officially begun at the House of Paper! I think I really need this, because I have acquired so much product and have scrapped so little with it. Here is my page for Chiara's Challenge #1, which was to create a birthday layout using Glimmer Mist or Stickles. On this one, I used everything Sassafras, but because I didn't want the paper to look too girly for pictures of a teenage boy, I used some Glimmer Mist to grunge it up a little. Shiny, yes, but it had the desired effect. I used Stickles on the chipboard "B" to make it stand out a little more.

I also have a sketch to share :)

I used this sketch for some great pictures from the Pacific Science Center's Tropical Butterfly House. For the layout, I used papers from BoBunny as well as some die cut butterfly paper (not sure of the manufacturer) that I cut apart, layered, and stickled to create some great dimensional butterflies. I also used some butterfly stickers from Studio 112 and metal embellishments from Making Memories. The titles were cut with my Cricut.

Since this is my last blog post for 2010, I wish all of you

Need a little push?

I know I certainly do! I feel so un-accomplished in the scrapbooking department as of late, so the House of Paper January Use your Stash Challenge is coming at the perfect time for me!

I can't wait! I certainly have enough stash to play with at the moment... today is a play with paper & reorganize day. I may also be posting some layouts and /or sketches.

Helmar Rocks

Helmar is having a challenge to bring lots & lots of subscribers to their Facebook page & spread the word about how awesome their stuff is, so please, go here: Helmar's Facebook and put a comment on their wall telling them Jill Oriente sent you :)

By the way, I just sent in my application for their design team and I really hope I get it because I am in love with Helmar almost as mch as I am in love with Sassafras!

Playing catch up...

I dropped the ball on posting a sketch last week, so I am posting double this week :) Yes, I have been playing with my new phone a lot, but it is so much better than my Blackberry was. No more hourglass of death! I gave the BB to Charlie he says his friend Justin is jealous because his phone does more now... except it can't go online.
Anyhow, I don;t get to do a lot of scrapping today because it''s Joe's birthday & I have a list of stuff to do.
It's also week 4 at the House of Serendipity and I'm still going strong! Here's the layout I submitted for last week's challenge (It was a sketch challenge- I think I'm pretty good at those lol!)

I used papers from Die Cuts With a View's Christmas Stack and the journaling card is from Collage Press's "Joyride" collection- sure wishing I had bought more of that when the lss had it! The ribbon is some cheap stuff I bought on clearance last year in the dollar spot at Michael's.

And I also have this week's challenge done as well! This was a Scrap-lift challenge- we had to choose one of the March Kit layouts from th design team. I chose this one from Rebecca. For my take on it, I used more of the DCWAV Christmas Stack. The Chipboard is from Colorbok and the snowflakes were from JoAnn's.

And now my sketches! I did this first one last week... just never to around to posting it (I think I should restrict the kids from using my laptop- every time I needed it, they were on it!)

For this one, I used paper from My Mind's Eye, a journal card from Fancy Pants, a frame from Making memories, Chipboard from Colorbok (again), Flower die cuts from Cosmo Cricket, and alphas from Miss Elizabeth's. the sketch was originally 12x12, but I used it for 8 1/2 x 11.

And now the bonus sketch... I haven't done anything with this one yet...

Off to more errands! Have fun!

And the winner is...

Finally picked the winner for the contest! Michaela did this page based on Sketch #3. I love how she used the snowboards in place of the brackets and the colors on this are just awesome! Make sure you email me your address at jroriente@gmail.com so I can get your goodies out soon!

And now on to this week's sketch...

I had originally intended this sketch to be for pictures from around the campfire from our camping trip this weekend to Westport, however, we we

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rarely all around the fire at the same time, so I didn't get them. I even had the idea of having Chlow draw some fire on some white cardstock so I could use it for this page because she draws amazing flames!

Since I didn't get to take the desired photos, I started looking around in my already printed stack so I could use the sketch anyways. I like it that much. What it ended up looking like is a far cry from the actual sketch... mostly because I was trying some new techniques (like making vines out of tissue paper) but also because I was

using up some old embellishments as part of a challenge at the House of Paper. It still somewhat resembles the sketch, I think, but I guess that's why they call it "Inspiration" ;)

The materials I used for this one are:

The journal spot is from a pack of "frames" I got years ago from colorbok
The "Cherish" is from one of those DIY kits from a while ago that I bought for the album
the butterflies are appliques that I bought and forgot about as are the metal charms & hat pin. Everything else is new! pp: DCWAV
Flowers & Page Pebble: Prima

To make the tissue paper vines, I cut some green tissue paper into a strip twice as long as the area I wanted it for, then crumpled it, uncrumpled it and twisted it, then I inked it wit

h a black ink pad very lightly. I cut the leaves by crumpling and uncrumpling more tissue paper and folding it in half and cur a few half-leave shapes. After I unfolded each leaf, I gently touched them to the ink pad so it would pick up some of the texture and then I used Helmar Acid

Free Glue to attach them all to my page.

So much summer fun!

I know I kinda skimped on the sketches last week... mostly due to time constraints and because of my contest, but I hope this one makes up or it! :) Don't forget, you have until July 15th to post a layout to the comments section (or email me) of this post. This week's layout is one I did for the June Contest on Scrap-Tastic. It started out looking a little funky as a sketch and it took me about 4 sketches to finally map it out well enough to use, but I love the end result! For this one, the challenge was to use at least: 3 patterned papers (I used Daisy Ds, LilyBee from the French Couture Collection, and Die Cuts With a View from last year's Fall Stack), 3 cardstocks (which I used to mat the photos as well as the background for everything), 3 stamps (my butterflies, which I stamped on white crdstock and then colored in using chalk pastel pencils, and also the "Live well, laugh often, love much" on the border), and 3 DIFFERENT embellishments (I used Chipboard for the title, brads, die cut flowers from Daisy Ds and even added some dimensional flowers and butterflies from Studio 18, some ricrac, and finally a cardstock journal sticker from Sassafras). An exhausting list, but a very worthwhile layout!

Toot toot!

Just blowing my own horn here a little bit, but my last posted layout (4 of a Kind) is on the Sassafras blog. Here's the post if you wanna check it out :)

Golden Oldies

Some Sassafras Fun

I originally had a different sketch in mind and even had the layout done for it to post this week, but lo and behold, there was a sort of challenge on the Sassafras blog that I just had to try. Their challenge this week was to mix the old and the new together. Now all the patterned papers on here are from Sassafras. I used pieces from Hog Heaven and Happy Place and mixed them with Bungle Jungle and Anthem. I even used some of their yummy Paper Whimsies (which I blinged out :) )

I know that the scan is a little wonky, but the layout is just so darn chunky!