Pencil Lines Sketch #232

I loved this week's sketch so much I had to do 2 different versions of it!
For this first one, I used plain white cardstock and painted a neon rainbow with acrylic paints, then I misted it with Lilac Walnut Ink to dull it down just slightly. I cut the flowers out with my Cricut using paper from DCWV Rock Star Stack. I stamped the title with some tiny letter stamps I bought at JoAnn's a while back.

For this next one, I wanted to do something totally different, so I decided to go a little cleaner. Everything on here is Echo Park. I used mostly "Playground" with a little smidge of "Springtime" mixed in. I am really loving how all of their lines play well together!

Hopefully be back with more, but until then, happy scrapping!

A scrappy day?

Well, I had every intention of getting lots of pages done today... this kitten has different ideas...

She is sitting on my shoulders or curled up on my arm so I can't do anything... or she has been attacking my letters that I have been cutting on my Cricut and losing them, or sitting on my laptop & making it open random windows. I think she's just happy that someone's at home besides the dog. Anyhow, no sketch this week, so I'm sharing a layout I did for this week's sketch on Pencil Lines instead.

I used papers from K & Co. and DCWV, stickers & banners from Sassafras and a ghost shape from Fancy Pants.

I'll post more layouts later if I'm allowed to scrap more...

Some More Disney, a Sketch & a Tutorial

First off, I would love to thank everyone who is following me and (hopefully) enjoying my ramblings. Please let your friends know about my site and please comment when you can, so I don't feel like the homeless lady in the park that talks to herself :) I will be announcing a contest soon... when I can get everything together for it :)

And now, to the fun part!

I wanted to share my favorite layouts I have done this week.
Remember that ad I posted a couple weeks ago? Well, I finally got my layout done using that ad.
On this layout, I used papers from K&Co. and Sandylion. The flowers are all from Prima, the bling is from Darcie, the bling brads are Making Memories, and the pearl swirls are ones I made (but bought the strands from JoAnn). The other swirls are ones that I cut with my cricut from DCWV Glitter Cardstock.

To make the pearl swirls, you will need to find a store that sells sewing notions (like JoAnn's) and look in their trims department. These ones I found were only $2.50 for 3 yards of them, and they had several colors. To get the pattern, I used the leftover pieces of cardstock from my other swirls as a stencil and then traced where I wanted the swirls with Helmar Craft Glue. After letting the glue settle for a couple minutes, I measured my pearls by holding them over where I wanted each piece and approximated how long I would need for each small strand. Then I layed each cut piece in the craft glue and let it dry. So easy and so much more economical than buying pre-made pearl swirls! As a pattern, you could also use a swirl stamp in a light color- I've done that before as well.

My 2nd favorite layout as of late is this one:

You can tell I stocked up on the Sandylion Disney papers... The brackets are from Echo Park, the "Smile" is from Cosmo Cricket's "The Boyfriend" line, The border stickers and alphas are from Sassafras, and the Pluto is a Jolee's sticker.

And lastly, the sketch. I don't have an example of this one this week, because it is one of my "backup" sketches... I would love to see your takes on it, though!

Post a link to your layouts in my "Comments" section :)

Major Mojo, reporting for duty!

I have been ultra-inspired this week! I like to chalk it up to a blast of creativity, but I think I am also going to credit all my new stuff!I don't have a ton of it, but just a few new papers & I am going through my old stash like mad, now, so I can use it with my new stuff! I also have a (sort of) tutorial for you today as well as some really fun layouts and a sketch!
First off, the tutorial. Unfortunately, it's a written tutorial, because I didn't think to take pictures while I was making this particular item.I am talking about the ribbon flower on this layout:

You will definitely be seeing these on my layouts more in the future because it was so simple to make, and it gives me a use for all those adorable spools of ribbon that I buy because I love them and then don't end up using them.

To make these flowers:

1.  Cut a piece of ribbon about 6" long from your spool
2. Fold the ribbon like you would a fan
3. Staple in the center of the bundle you have made
4. Unfold & fan out the edges.

That's it! I adhered it to my page and fixed the button on it with Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots. I am definitely going to be doing a lot of these... I am also thinking some wide lace would look nice. And can you imagine how gorgeous they would be with a little glimmer mist? I also used papers from October Afternoon and Echo Park, a tag from My Little Shoebox and stickers from Echo Park & Sassafras on this page.

And now, for the sketches!

In the page I did for this, I used papers from Die Cuts With a View (Cardstock) and K & Co. The die-cut journal area is from Lily Bee. The flowers are Prima & Studio 8. The Rub-on is from Basic Grey and the alphas are from Miss Elizabeth's.

 

Mad for Graphic 45

I completed my first layout using the Graphic 45 Halloween in Wonderland line... And I even used one of my sketches!

Here's the sketch:

And here's the layout. I used mostly the G45 papers, but the stripes are from DCWV.

I can't stress how much I love these papers. I've already restocked, though I am disappointed because the one craft store I found that carries them in the area was out of the die cuts:( Guess I'll have to keep checking back, or order online. 

I also have another layout to share. This is a double-pager. I used BoBunny's Jazmyne Terrace on this one, along with strips from DCWV & Rusty Pickle and a journal card from WeRMemory Keeepers and brads from Around the Block. This is also my first foray into using the Core'dinations Cardstock I bought. I think this may be the beginning of another beautiful friendship.

Happy Scrapping!

Some Disney Fun

I didn't get any scrapping done today, but I have a bunch of layouts from our vacation album to share :) But first, a sketch for you!

For this sketch, I used pictures from the California Screamin' rollercoaster in California Adventure. For my layout, I used papers from Die Cuts With a View, Sandylion and Me & My Big Ideas, as well as a journal spot & photo corner from Sassafras and a ticket from Jenni Bowlin.

And here's some more layouts to share!

This is one of my favorite layouts in this album so far! I had to hand-cut the shaped paper and the photo corners and also doodled the stars on the photo corners. The car paper is from Die Cuts With a View and the  border and decorative pieces under the shaped paper are Sassafras. 

I wasn't sure how I wanted to use the paper on this one at first, but I like how it came out. The paper is from Sandylion, and the rest is just cardstock. The chipboard star tag is actually from a shirt I bought (Converse One Star) and I liked it so much I saved it. I think it goes well with this layout!

More to come when I get more time!

A different kind of inspiration

Sorry, folks, there's no sketch today. Instead, I am sharing a layout created using one of my favorite sources of inspiration- ads. Our friends in the consumer advertising world have provided us with years of inspiration! I just use Google Image Search to find an ad that I want to use! Of course, now that I am posting this, I can't find the ad I used, but I hope you enjoy the layout!

For this layout, I used paper from Die Cuts With A View and also some tage cut from some BoBunny paper. The stars are actually some mini tree garland that I bought after Christmas a couple years ago.

Have fun looking for some ad inspiration!

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!

Late on Wednesday...

You know what they say, better late than never! Hah! Who is "They" anyways? Anyhow, I am posting now because I have been grocery shopping and scrapbooking all day :) I usually do my crafts when I am doing laundry, but our dryer is still on the fritz, so I am sooo thrown off my game. I can't wait until we can do laundry at home. The laundromat is so expensive. Can you believe we spent $40 to wash our laundry on Sunday? Granted, that was 2 weeks worth of laundry for 4 people, but still... Yikes! I promised the kids that I wouldn't spend any money on scrappy stuff until after vacation (Sooooo hard because everyone is doing their Winter CHA previews! I should only be so lucky as to win some...), but it seems that all the money I would be saving is going right into trying to fix the dryer and doing laundry. It's a vicious cycle. I want off.

I do have a couple of layouts and sketches to share, for all my effort today.

For this first one, I was actually influenced by a clock... I was playing with numbers for this layout and finally came up with this design... and an example that looks pretty close to it.

For this layout, I used paper from Die Cuts With a View and K & Co. mostly, though I'm not totally sure because I used a lot of scraps that I have had for years. There might even be some My Mind's Eye as well. The buttons are also all hodgepodge of ones from various places and articles of clothing. The only thing I do know for certain is that the journal spot is from Sassafras :)

Here's the bonus sketch of the day... I may have to try this one as well. If I have the right photos. Mine always seem too big for this sort of thing!

Happy Scrapping!

The Good, The Bad & The Sketchy

What a difference a week can make! To start off, the good news is always the best! Our family is all a little tired today and it is due to the fact that we were all at the hospital last night where my Sister in Law gave birth to my nephew! His name is Tristan Kale. He was born a little after 11:20pm and weighed 7 lbs. 11oz.

Isn't he a cutie! I can't wait to watch him grow! Charlie is really happy to have a boy cousin now... especially after 13 years of being the only boy.

Now the bad news. We got notified today that Brianna, who runs the Spunky Scrappers site is hanging up her boots. She said she will leave the site up as inspiration, but will no longer be running any challenges. I'm bummed because I have been just loving some of the different challenges! The topics were great, not to mention the fact that it is the first DT I have ever been on & I was just starting to have a blast! I guess I will be searching out some new DT opportunities this new year.

And, finally, the Sketchy :)

I have two for you today!

For this first layout, I used papers from K & Co. and a strip of Sassafras. The journal spot is Little Yellow Bicycle and the title and butterfly were cut with my Cricut using Die Cuts With a View glitter cardstock. The flowers are Prima. To get the bunchy effect on the pink & yellow flowers, I put a dot of Helmar Craft Glue in the center of one paper flower, then held it together until it set and stayed there, then I used a dot of Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots to adhere it to the center of the second flower.

This next one is my favorite :)

This one us almost all Sassafras :) The film strip is from Creative Imaginations, the felt is from Blu Eye Dezines and the little metal clips are from Heidi Swapp.

What's inspiring you today?

The last day of 2009

I thought I could get this done yesterday, but I had some technical issues with my laptop- for some reason the card reader decided it didn't want to work right.

Today, I thought I would do something different! I was a inspired a little by necessity, but also by my sister, who got a Cricut Expression (lucky ducky!) for Christmas and has been crafting up a storm! I think I am to blame partially for creating this crafting monster because a couple months ago, she asked me to bring my Cricut to Mom's house so she could see how it worked. I have the personal-sized one, but it gave her an idea of how they work. I also have Sure Cuts A Lot and the Storybook cartridge, which I recommended, and she got those as well. Anyhow, she started off doing some cards, and I needed a Thank You card for my Grandma, so I decided to do a card sketch this time around!

For this card, I used papers from Die Cuts With a View & Marianne Richmond. I cut the shaped papers and the words out with my Storybook cartridge. The flowers I made by cutting out the flower shapes on the George cartridge in 2", 1 1/2" , and 1" sizes from each type of paper I was using. I inked each one on the edges with a coffee colored ink. For the flower on  the left, I glued down the big piece on the bottom and then curled the petals with a chop stick and glued each of them down with the smallest piece last. I did pretty much the same with the other flowers, but because the paper is only printed on one side, I actually rolled the petals inside out.

For my actual layout and sketch this week, I am still catching up on my fall pictures :)

I

I also decided to do a round sketch this time. I love how it worked with these photos & papers.

I stamped the paper behind the larger photo with a swirl stamp and brown ink and used an edging ruler to tear it, then I inked it around the outside with the same color ink as well. The other papers as well as the journal spot are Little Yellow Bicycle (which is a company I seem to be buying more & more stuff from). The Alpha stickers are from WeRMemoryKeepers. The gold mesh is actually some Christmas ribbon I bought a couple years ago & just love how it adds to my layouts! I'll be sad when I run out because I haven't found any more like that since I bought it. At first, I had issues getting it to stick to my pages, but I've found that if I spray the back of it with Helmar Vellum Adhesive & let it sit for a few minutes, it sticks really well!

Today is the last day of 2009! I don't make resolutions because then I don't feel bad for not keeping them, but I have promised the kids that I will not buy any more scrappy stuff until after our vacation at the end of May (Disneyland !!!), with the exception of photos, adhesives & page protectors (which I buy at the dollar store usually, anyways). That means as the weeks go by, you will see me using up more of my stash, some of which I have been hoarding a good 5+ years now! This could get interesting!

Happy New Year!

Altered Baby Frame

This frame was my baby shower present for my sister in law, who is due in January. I didn't get it done prior to the shower because I was looking for the perfect frame. I got this one at WalMart. It's an 11x14 frame with an 8x10 mat. I used some old papers from a Die Cuts With A View Stack that I have been looking for the perfect thing to use them with & I think I found it! I used some art glue to decoupage the paper to the existing mat and then used Helmar Acid Free Glue to glue down the ruler ribbon (I can't remember who made the ribbon... I got it at JoAnn's though).The little wood pieces & epoxy stickers are things I got in RAK's & I love how they look! I used Helmar Craft Glue to stick them to the mat The bingo card is from Jenni Bowlin, the Chipboard is Marcella by K & the banner journaling sticker at the bottom (so she can write down his birthday when he is actually born) is Sassafras. TFL!