Card share

World Card Making day was this pasted Saturday, Oct 1. I had a chance to get a card done for a challenge over at the Fawn Lawn blog. I made a Thank You card for a friend that is always driving us around. Please excuse the poorly lit photo.

Supplies: Cardstocks - Unknown, Ink - Memories Black ink, colors by Stampin' Up; Homemade Twinkling H2Os; Ribbon - Michaels; White pen - Inksentials

Hot Pink Challenge

Here's another page done for the challenges Shimelle is hosting this week. To get the details and see a video of Shimelle's page check this blog post. From Shimelle's layout, I used the 7x7 square of paper and a little hot pink as my inspiration.

Supplies: Cardstock - Bazzill; Pattern Paper, Thickers & Flair - American Crafts; Punch - Fiskars

Surprise...another challenge and layout.

Well, Shimelle said she had some surprises in store for us this week. She had a video and a challenge posted on her blog today. So I got my stuff back out and made another layout. Check this blog post for the video and to see the details of the challenge.

I stuck really close to the design of her layout. I had both versions of the Adore Bingo card from Jenni Bowlin. I decided to use the lighter version on a black cardstock base. Instead of paint, which would be to messy to use in bed, I used yellow cardstock.

Supplies: Black Cardstock - unknown; Yellow Paper - American Crafts;
Adore Bingo Card - Jenni Bowlin; Butterfly Punch - Martha Stewart Crafts;
Small letter Stickers - Making Memories; Staples - Tim Holtz

Sketch of the Week with Shimelle

This is the last layout of my crafty weekend.

I have made:
One 6x12 photo-less layout that adds to a story.
Four 8.5x11 single page layouts
Seven 12x12 single page layouts
And One 12x12 double page layout
That's a lot of scrapping.

Making these layouts made me realize that I work better with a set of plans in front of me. Having Shimelle issue challenges, gave me a clear set of goals to complete. I need to right down some similar challenges to take with me to my monthly crop. I seem to have trouble doing layouts there.

And I enjoy working with a limited set of supplies. Most of the layouts I completed used supplies from American Crafts. The most used supplies were from 2 different older collections, Moda Bella and Everyday. I chose those 2 collections, because I had the complete set of supplies to work with. And I love the colors. I worked with heritage, special occasions. and everyday photos with the same papers and embellishments. And all the layouts worked.

Now here's the last layout I completed. It's for Shimelle's sketch of the week. See this post to get the sketch and join along. I followed the sketch pretty close. I just had to replace the smaller photos with a strip of pattern paper.

Supplies:Graph Paper - Scenic Route; Cardstock, Pattern Paper, Details Stickers, & Thickers - American Crafts; Small Letter Stickers - Making Memories; Circle Punch - Martha Stewart Crafts;

The Signature Accent Challenge

This challenge was to create a page with a product or technique that you use often. To learn more about the challenge, visit this blog post.

As soon as I saw this challenge, I knew what I would do. It's something I use quite often. I have used it a few times this crafty weekend. My go-to technique is using pattern paper in a block with a photo and ribbon. I use this technique, most often, when I only have a single photo from an event. All the layouts I did this weekend featured a vertical photo. But I use it with horizontal photos, too. With horizontal photos, I usually substitute accordion folded paper strips for the ribbon.

Supplies: Cardstock, Pattern Paper, & Thickers - American Crafts; Ribbon - Lil' Davis Designs;
Staples - Tim Holtz

Since I don't store my layouts in chronological order, the layouts that are similar in design are almost never beside each other in my albums. And while, I use this technique often, people looking at my albums never notice, because there are so many other pages in there.

The Half Page Challenge

I think this challenge has been the easiest for me. If you'd like to join in on this challenge, just visit this blog post for all the info.

Having lots of white space is something I do a lot when scrapbooking. Just looking back at the rest of the layouts I've done this weekend. You can see I like lots of open space.

Supplies: Cardstock - Bazzill; Pattern Paper (including the Pink) & Thickers - American Crafts; Border Bunch - Martha Stewart

Just a small note about this layout. It doesn't have a date or place on it. But I have another single page from this same trip. It has more journaling and info. So I plan on adding this layout to the facing page.

3 is a Magic Number Challenge.

I may have taken this challenge too far. I have a bunch of threes on this layout. If you'd like to join along, check this post for all the details.

Last October, my husband and I went to see "Rocky Horror Picture Show" that featured audience participation. It was fun. And it makes me want to go to see it again. But this time, I want to find a showing that features actors acting it out along side of the movie. Seeing this movie in a theater was actually something I had wanted to do for years. So, it was nice to cross it off my bucket list.

I have 3 groupings of 3 flowers on this one. I tried going with just 1 grouping, but it didn't seem to work. My photos had some blank spaces that needed filling. And speaking of photos, I used 3 of those.

Supplies; Cardstock - Bazzill; Black Flocked paper - unknown; Black & White flowers - Making Memories; Red Flowers (Originally White) - Prima; Spray Mist - Maya Road; Thickers and Black center brads - American Crafts; Ribbon - Michaels

I made this layout a little over the top. (Well, it is for me) But I think it's fitting, given the movie's plot line.

Let's Go Retro Challenge

It's a bright new day. And I've already been plugging away at layouts for the Online Scrapbooking Weekend with Shimelle. The link takes you to her blog, so you can join in.

The next challenge was to use a photo that was taken before 2011. Get all the details at this post.
This photo is of my husband when he was a baby. The journaling is about his hairline, then and now.

Supplies; Cardstock - Bazzill; Pattern Paper, Journaling Block (cut into 2 pieces) & Letter Stickers - Making Memories; Ribbon - American Crafts; Mini Staple - Tim Holtz

Last Challenge of the Day

Check this post at www.shimelle.com for details. It's a challenge to scrap something you "heart" or love.

Supplies: Cardstock - Bazzill; Pattern Paper & Foam Thicker Heart - American Crafts; Black Letter Stickers - Making Memories; Journaling Spot - Martha Stewart Crafts; Mini Staples - Tim Holtz; Ribbon - Michaels

I know, for some people, a treat from Starbucks wouldn't be a big deal. But for me, there are only a few times a year that I indulge. So, I'm glad that I got to record this memory on a page.
(And it's one I must have really wanted to get on a page. I found a couple copies of this photo.)

Grid It Up Scrapbook Challenge

I did a 2-page layout for the next challenge. Get the details at this post.

I've had these photos printed out for a while now. I snapped them through the car window during a trip from New Jersey to South Carolina. That's about 750 miles (or about 1,207 km). That's 6 states and the District of Columbia.

Supplies: Cardstock, Pattern Paper, Brads & Flair Button - American Crafts; Letter Stickers - Making Memories; White Pen - Ranger; Photos taken with Hipstamatic iPhone app

A Color Story Challenge

Here's my take on a red, white and aqua layout. Check this post for details.

Supplies: Red Carstock - Bazzill; Aqua Carstock, Pattern Paper, & Thickers - American Crafts; Enjoy Cutting File - Kerri Bradford

This layout started with the color pallet given to us by Shimelle. The second thing I knew I was going to use was this "enjoy" border cut file from Kerri Bradford. It's a simple layout, but the journaling is what stands out on this one.

Add To The Story Challenge.

Warning: my page this challenge deals with loss and miscarriage. I know lots of people only scrap the good things. But I'm not like that. Sometimes the misfortunes of our lives must be recorded. And this is one of the times for me.

Here's the next Shimelle challenge. Click this link to find out the details.

This challenge was an easy/hard one for me. The page came together easy. But the journaling under the flap was very hard. I wanted it private., so that's why the gray flower paper was used to make a hidden spot for my thoughts. I suffered a miscarriage at 11.5 weeks this past April. We saw the heartbeat a few times before that. I thought we were in the clear. I was wrong. I have some pages that I did before the miscarriage. But I don't want to do a whole page on the loss. So this 6x12 page, with the hidden journaling was a good solution. This one will go before those other pages. Just so things stay clear to people looking in the album in the future.

Supplies: Cardstock - Bazzill; Pattern Paper & Thickers - American Crafts; Ribbon - Michaels

Now any children we may have in the future can see why there aren't any photos of this baby growing up. They can read about the hurt, but also my desire to remember a life that was lost way to soon.

Starting Point Challenge

Here's another page for the challenges at www.shimelle.com. This time Shimelle challenged us to use a layout she designed as a starting point. Check this post of all the details and to see the layout.


This layout used photos of my husband's mom when she was a young girl.

Supplies: Cardstock - Bazzill; Pattern Paper, Chipboard, Thickers & Ribbon - American Crafts; Small Letter Stickers - Making Memories.

Shimelle has a Wake Up Call this morning with a giveaway to one lucky person. She asked what we wanted to scrapbook today. My answer was "old family photos. And with this layout, I've done that. I've linked the post, so go check it out. But you have to hurry. The giveaway closes tonight (13th August 2011) at midnight UK time.

Playing with Paper

I'm on a roll now. Here's the latest layout. You can find out the details of this challenge at this blog post. I tried to stick with just paper as embellishments, but it didn't work for me. I tried to use paper in place of that ribbon. In the end, I just had to change it to that ribbon. It made the layout work so much better.

Supplies: Kraft Cardstock - Bazzill; Pattern Paper - Studio Calico; Ribbon - SEI

I saw someone use the SC paper like this. I have wanted to try this since then. It took 2 sheets of the scallop paper to do this. Then the "Welcome Home" comes from another sheet of paper. My husband asked, "Why did you use that "Welcome Home" piece." Well, to me, where he is is home. And I thought it worked for the layout of us through the years.

Another layout

Another layout for the Online Scrapbooking Weekend hosted by Shimelle. This challenge was to use a printable made by Mary Anne Walters. You download it at the bottom of this post. You can see the details of the challenge at that link.

My printer is out of color ink, so I had to improvise. I printed the journaling box in grey-scale. Then I colored it with a orange marker. It actually worked out better for me, because the original colors didn't work with my chosen papers.

Supplies: Gray cardstock - unknown; Pattern papers (including the orange, which is a backside of a print) and Thickers - American Crafts; Small letter stickers - Making Memories; Ribbon - Michaels

I went ahead and used the same collection of American Crafts products, since they were already out in front of me. This layout started out with the title on the printable journaling block. Then I flipped through my photos and found something that worked with the colors in the paper. And notice that the "N" in FUN is really a "Z" turned on it's side. And that worked because I could fit those smaller stickers under it. I love when things fall together like this.

I have millions of this type of photo. I boogie board every time we go to the beach. And Mark always gets the camera out and takes photos of me. So finding a bathing suit that matched the colors in the paper was pretty easy.

Sticker Layout

So, the story of this blogs life. Shimelle hosts something, new stuff gets posted here. This weekend, she's hosting an Online Scrapbokking Weekend. Challenges and prizes are going on at her blog. If you'd like to join along this weekend, here's the link to the blog post with the info, Shimelle's Online Scrapbooking Weekend.

And here's the first layout that I completed. It was for this challenge, mixing stickers from different collections.

Supplies: White Cardstock - Bazzill; Thickers, Details Stickers, Pattern Paper - American Crafts

This layout is about a dear friend that passed away last month. She was like another mother to me and my husband. I was so happy to get this photo of the 2 of them together from another friend.

All the products from American Crafts are older lines. The pattern paper and the Details stickers that look like flowers are from the Moda Bella line. The heart shaped Details sticker is from the Everyday line. I have a hard time using those Details stickers, so I was glad to break into 2 different packages of them.

Poor blog

Dear blog,
I have signed up for Shimelle's class "Blogging of Scrapbookers". It starts on Monday. So I hope that I can become a better blogger. We also have some extra special news to share soon. It should kick start the blogging.

Until then check out Shimelle's website at http://www.shimelle.com/paper/940/scrapbooking-giveaway-day/ for a chance to win a spot at the upcoming True Scrap event.