Going Simple with Scraptastic

The I Found A Boy Kit at Scraptastic Club sold out pretty quickly, and I can show you why.  I have a couple of layouts to show you today.

I decided to try something a little different this month and go a little flatter than usual with my Augusts kits.  For this first layout, I really wanted to use a design that incorporated almost all of the patterned papers that came in the kit.  I just love the way they all coordinate so well.  Zero journaling on this one, which is a little different for me, but I thought the title and the photos were really all this layout needed.

For this layout I used mainly the I Found A Boy Add On Kit.  I thought it would be fun to cut up this sheet and stick the squares back in place to add depth to the "flatter than usual" design.

Journaling reads: "It was a little disappointing when our VACATION turned into a STAYCATION.  We made the best of it, by taking the girls to do things we wouldn't normally like Wall Climbing and getting their first pedicure.  August 2013" 

I used the stamp form the Classy girl kit to emboss onto a scrap piece of cardstock in the centre of the photos.  

See, pretty simple, but still gets the story recorded, and in an even faster time frame than I'm use to.  These kits are so jam packed with product that I've made 4 layouts, and two cards.  I even combined a bunch of the bits and pieces with my This Life Noted kit to create 2.5 spreads.  I have so enjoyed working with these brighter, bolder, more masculine colours.  The stamps are great too.  It appeared at first that the kit had a more masculine bent to it, but once I started working with it, it became increasingly clear that the colours were great for many of the photos I had ready to be scrapped.

I'll have the rest of my projects to share with you soon.  In the meantime hop over here to the gallery for inspiration from the rest of the Scraptastic DT and our members.  You can follow along with the blog here.

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Paper Secrets Guest Spot

It's the 15th of the month, which means it's time for Sketch Challenge #2 over at the Paper Secrets Blog.  Kelly created another great sketch for us to work with.  I worked with the Summer Stories Collection by Teresa Collins and came up with the layout pretty quickly.

That "Life" is cut using my Silhouette Cameo.  I actually combined a couple of different fonts to get the look I was after.  I began with the Lobster font, it's one of my favourites when welding titles.  I did't however like the upper case "L" or the "F" in the font once it was welded.  The solution was to take those letters from a couple of different fonts and weld them into the Lobster font.  The "L" is from the Holla font, and the "F" is from the Apple Chancery font.

As usual I've layered many of my elements on this layout.  Only the buttons, the Studio Calico wood veneer, the Chic Tags pennant, and the Scraptastic custom flair are not from the Summer Stories Collection kit.

I loved working with this kit, and have Kristi and her shop at Paper Secrets to thank for it, as it's not a collection we have in my local LSS, so I never would have known how gorgeous it is without them. Paper Secrets has a number of great products in their shop, at great prices.  Right now, in fact there is a great deal on patterned papers, collection kits, and all cardstock.  This same collection kit is available in the shop at a super price, check it out for yourself here.

A huge thank you to Kristi and her team for having me along for the ride this month.  It was a real honour to have been asked, and a definite joy to have played along.  I sure hope I get to meet up with them again at CHA in January.  I've got my fingers crossed I'll be able to attend.

Now go and get your craft on.  You have until August 31 to link up a newly created layout to the Paper Secrets Blog using the sketch, and adding the twist to use 5 or more buttons on your layout for your chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the shop.

Thanks for stopping by today friends.  Leave me a comment, and I'll be sure to swing by and leave you some love also. Pin It

Exciting News

Today I am finally able to let you in on my little secret.  

My work will be among many fabulous layouts all based on the sketches of the very talented Kristine Davidson for her brand new release Creating With Sketches 2.  I had a great sketch to work with, that I paired with Echo Park's Scoot papers.

You may recognize the photos from a previous layout.  I loved them so much I thought they'd be fun to work with again, and this sketch was perfect for them.  Journalling is hidden on the tag.

Sketches are a great way to get the mojo going when you just don't know where to start.  And this book has over 120 of of Kristine's trademark jump starters.

Kristine has very generously offered up a great deal for one of my lucky blog readers.  ONE FREE DIGITAL COPY.  Isn't she wonderful?  In order to get in on this amazing deal all you have to do is make sure you're a follower, and leave me a comment telling me you've done so.  You can increase your chances by sharing, or linking back to this post on any form of social media.  One extra entry per method shared.  Just leave me additional comments with your links.  I'll post my winner on this Friday morning.  Be sure to leave me your contact info so I can get a hold of you personally. 

If you are too anxious to wait on a draw, Kristine has also generously offered up a discount code for immediate use.  Use code CSW2Discount to save 2$ off your newly released digital copy of Creating With Sketches 2 today.  Coupon code will be valid until March 31 at 10pm EST.  If you prefer a paper copy, they are also available right here on Kristine's site.

Thanks for popping in today.

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Hello Friday

How happy I am to see you once again!

I have a Chic Tags quickie to share with you today.  If you follow me on Instagram you saw these photos of the girls last week (and if you don't but want to you can find me here)  The girls haven't had bologna in years, and apparently eating it is just like riding a bicycle, they still cut holes into it to make a face.  This time, however they both thought it would be hilarious to actually wear the bologna face.

See why I had to scrap the moment?  To me, they look hilarious, especially with their funny animal hats.  Journaling reads: "The things these monkeys come up with while we wait to occupy themselves can be pretty crazy stuff.  The girls thought these bologna faces were pretty funny.  Disgusting, and unsanitary, but hilarious."

I had one Love Note flair left that I was determined to use on this layout.  I really like the pop of red with the Studio Calico papers.  I also cut one of the blank Love Note Phrases tags and tucked it behind the photos on either side.

In case you missed it, you still have until the end of today to participate in Challenge Sunday.  Simply link on the Chic Tags blog for your chance to win the entire, not yet released Road Trip Collection.  Check out the details here, and good luck to all who enter!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, I hope you're in for a fabulous weekend!

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I'm Not Perfect

Just in case any of you were thinking it, ha ha.

I realized the other day, that I never shared this layout I created for the Lily Bee design team call a few weeks ago.  I thought it was a fun, eye-catching, and a creative way to share a little bit of my personality and my scrappy style all at the same time.  It obviously wasn't enough to make an impression on them, but I still love it nonetheless.

Double Dutch collection

I had this quote from Pinterest in mind for the longest time to use on a layout, and it seemed to fit great with the style and design of this one.  Not to mention...it's 100% true, if I do say so myself.  It's a little difficult to read, but it says "I may not be perfect, but parts of me are pretty awesome."

Thanks for popping in today, and especially for not taking me too seriously. Pin It

How To Make A Pie Chart

Here is a post I shared over at the Scrapping Everyday Miracles Blog.  I thought perhaps some of you may be interested in it also, so here it is for your viewing pleasure.

I learned a new technique recently that I am excited to be sharing with you today.  I'm going to show you a quick and easy way to make a pie chart.  For use as a quick and easy embellishment on your layouts.  It's my understanding that if you have a Silhouette Cameo this technique can be done even quicker.  If, like me you don't have one to speed things up, this way will work just fine too.

I knew I wanted to have several charts in different sizes, so I pulled out my trusty old Creating Memories circle cutting tools.  And a scrap piece of 12x12 packaging.

 Using plates or bowls, or jar bases, or anything of the like will work perfectly also.

After I had all my circles cut out I divided them up like pieces of a pie (hence the name, go figure).

Using a ruler find the center point on your circle draw a line from one side to the other.  Rotate the circle, and do the same thing on the reverse side so you have a big "+" sign smack dab in the middle reaching from side to side.  Once yo have the "+" continue dividing up the circle leaving about one inch or so in between lines.  Your circles should now look like this.

Notice I made one pie chart off centered

Once you have all your pie charts divided up, it's important to number each sliver of the pie from #1 up.  This will help greatly in the re-assmebly.

 

Here, because I have so many sizes I used a system to remeber which slice went with which pie.  The largest circle is numbered 1lg (large) to 8lg.  The medium is number 1 med to 6 med, etc.  Now, because I used an extra piece of packaging which is sturdier than regular card stock, I have several templates to reuse at a later time.  Recycled cereal boxes, and the like would work excellently also.

Now all you need to do is trace the pie pieces onto patterned paper, and reassemble the pie chart.

At this point you can simply reassemble the pie chart directly onto your layout if you wish.  Because I knew I wanted to stitch on mine, I needed to reassemble it onto a scrap piece of cardstock.

Once I had them all reassembled I used my sewing machine to stitch a zig-zag pattern in between each of the pieces.

And here is the layout I came up with using my freshly made pie charts, and a cute quote I discovered on Pinterest.

I told you it was easy.  I hope you've been inspired to give something new a try.  Be sure to link me up if you give this technique a shot.  I'd love to come by and have a peek.

Happy Creating friends! Pin It

Let's Get Sketchy Reveal

Another fun and fabulous sketch is live today over at Let's Get Sketchy.

If you haven't had a chance to pop over there and participate in a challenge this is a great week to begin.  Check out the sketch Jenessa has provided for us.

Of course I had to change mine around just a tad.  I am still so in love with this Crate Paper Pretty Party collection, that I pulled out my scraps and managed to create a layout with them. Here are some detail close up.

Love using jewelery cord from time to time for a little bit of a different look than twine or jute.

The look on this poor guys face says it all.  I'm not sure how he knows that he looks positively silly, but the expression on his face seems to relay the message pretty well.

You can see the rest of the team's creations here.  And here is where you can read up on how to become eligible for this month's sponsored prize.

How would you like to be a Guest Designer for us?  Check out this message from our fearless and lovely leader Brenshevia...

We are trying something new (for us) here at Let's Get Sketchy.  Starting November 1st, we will have a monthly guest designer.  No we are not bringing in anyone new, we are going to use our very on faithful followers!  Here is how it will work:
 
If you are interested in being a Guest Designer for LGS, when you upload your layout simply place GDT behind your name so we know you are interested in a spot.  Then at the end of the month, I will randomly select from those who are interested. If you are selected for that month, you will be our guest designer for the sketch challenge that goes up on the 2nd Monday of the month.  This will give you a little time to get the sketch from us and prepare your layout.  If selected, you must have your layout back to me NLT the Saturday before the Monday your reveal goes live.

This is open to any of our followers, simple put "GDT" behind your name when you upload for our challenges.  If you participate in more than one challenge, you only have to add the GDT to your name once.

I am looking forward to seeing your creations.  Enjoy the rest of your day!


Thanks for stopping by today friends.

♥ S. Pin It

The Miracles of Fall

Happy Monday friends, and welcome to a brand new week.

The Miracles of Fall is the focus of Scrapping Everyday Miracles Challenge #21

I decided to focus on the blessing of fresh produce.  As gorgeous as the changing of leaves can be this time of year, and the flight of the geese as they make their way to warmer climats, a bounty of fresh vegetables sure can make one feel incredibly blessed.

On this particular afternoon Mom called and asked if she could please bring over some of the harvest from her garden, and that of a friend's.  I wasn't home at the time when she stopped by.  When I came home there were bags full of wonderful smelling red potatoes, huge bright orange carrots, a funny shaped pumpkin, the largest zucchini I have ever seen, along with some glorious smelling tomatoes.  I felt rich, I tell you.  It may not have been worth a lot in monetary terms, but the thought that I had more than I could possibly need on my own, while so many go without was overwhelming.

Where normally, thoughts of Fall conjure up visions of brightly coloured trees, this year thoughts of Fall will remind me of the incredible gift of fresh, brightly coloured produce freely grown and harvested in my mother-in-law's garden.  Many a zucchini bread, and fresh oven-baked potatoes await my family.  Crisp, fresh carrots will satisfy my girls' hunger at lunch, and gorgeous peppers, and tomatoes will garnish many a meal to come.

This Fall we are so very blessed.

Simple Stories Harvest  Lane Collection

So in celebration of Fall, this month our Challenge at SEM is for you to scrap an everyday miracle you've captured in this wonderfully colourful, and refreshing season.  Even if you live in a climate where the change is colours is not as distinct as it is here in North America, there are still miracles happening all the time, all around you.  As always there is a twist...we challenge you to use paint on your layout.  You'll notice, I kind of cheated on that.  I opted for the a Maya Road metallic mist over the paint, because of the overall design of my layout.  But ink, is ink afterall, so please feel free to adjust your own layout as necessary, we won't hold it against you.

You can see the rest of the Design Team's Fall inspired layouts and, get the inside scoop on this month's sponsor right here.  We hope you'll be inspired to join us this month. 

Thanks for stopping by today. 

♥ S.


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LCTS Reveal

Let's Capture These Sketches sketch #151 boasts patterns, blocks, and flourishes.  Here is what Kimberly created for us to play with this week.

For whatever reason, this gorgeous sketch was giving me a hard time.  I just couldn't seem  to get it to translate onto paper the way the sketch intended.  Has that ever happened to you?  I began by flipping the sketch to suit the photos that I wanted to scrap.  I think perhaps that's where my dissatisfaction came.  I was stuck on what photos I wanted to scrap, and couldn't quite make them work as well with the sketch as I would have liked.  But, still I forged ahead, and came out with a layout that to document the moment in a way that is fun, and playful, and has my fingerprints all over it. 

Simple Stories 100 Days of Summer collection

Can you see the sketch in there?  It's flipped on it's side, and mirror imaged.  I encourage you to hop over to the Let's Capture These Sketches blog to see what the rest of the DT created, there are some really great takes to be seen.

And don't  forget about the blog up happening this weekend over at Scrapping Everyday Miracles.  You have the remainder of the weekend to get it on the fun, and qualify for some great prizes.  You can see what I have up for grabs here.  Have fun, and happy hopping.  You can see my layout and rak here.

Be blessed this weekend!

♥ S.



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Let's Get Sketchy

I love using sketches to jump start my creativity, or even just to break out of my box a little when designing new pages. I used one to create this layout of Isabelle the day she got her braces put on last month.  As much as she tried to pretend she didn't want them, I'd say it's pretty obvious from that smile that at least a little part of her was happy to have a little colour in her mouth.

I used a bunch of brand new Chic Tags goodies that arrived in the mail recently, a prize I had won through Ali Edwards Week In The Life Event.  I love, love, love these little bits and pieces, I used 5 of them on this layout alone (one of them being that awesome Hello Sunshine Badge).  There is also some Simple Stories, Lily Bee Design, My Mind's Eye, and Jillibean Soup here.

A few detail shots:

Here is the sketch I used by Let's Get Sketchy.

I rotated it, flipped the photos,and changed their size to suite my needs, but it's still very easy to see the original design.

Let's Get Sketchy announced on Monday that they are having a Design Team Call.  It's short and sweet (I like the way they roll), applicants have until this Sunday to get their applications in.  The announcement of the new team will me made that same day.  The requirements are easy peasy, and the ladies seem like a nice bunch to work with. You can check out the call for yourself on their site here.

I've only recently discovered this site, so my chances may be slim, but I've decided to go for it based on the fact that their sketches offer a nice variety, and would work very well with my style.  They have very reasonable requirements, and, when you look at their team of designers it is clear to see how diverse a team they are ethnically.  That is not something you see very often.  I think it's great, and I bet it adds a wonderful variety and flavor to the community they have amongst themselves. 

If you're a sketch lover too, I'd encourage you to check them out.  This is the current sketch challenge running.

If you decide to give it a go, be sure to link up with them here.  You never know, you could be the winner of this month's sponsored prize.

Thanks for stopping by today friends, I sure appreciate it.  And please wish me luck :)

♥ S. Pin It

Best Family Vacation

Cara is up this at Scrapping Everyday Miracles with this month's challenge...to scrap about your favorite vacation.  I love this challenge, because it gave me a good excuse to pull out these old photos of our family trip to the island of Turks and Caicos.  In case you're wondering where in the world it is I've included this map.

source

We joined another family for a week long stay in paradise.  It was one of those trips that you just know will be a once in a lifetime thing.  We took all three kids, and stayed at the all-inclusive Beaches resort and spa.  It was incredible.  19 restaurants, 3 separate villages, numerous pools, with swim up bars, snorkeling with starfish and stingray, and miles, and miles of white sandy beaches.  It was truly one of those places that made me stop and consider how amazing Heaven must truly be.  All that beauty was simply breath taking, and Heaven, according to the Bible is suppose to be even better than anything God has created here on earth, I can't even begin to imagine.  It was such a wonderful time to just play together in the green/blue sea, stay up late talking and laughing, and not having to worry about work, school, or do  any housework at all.

Here's a layout showcasing a few of the photos we captured the last evening we were there.

I really wanted to keep the focus on the photos so there are very few embellishments as you can see, not my usual clusters of bits and pieces.

The journaling reads:
"Our very first 'plane ride' family vacation was in 2008 to the most beautiful place on earth.  Turks & Caicos: with Heidi and Andrew and their girls, Lexi and Annika.  Everything about it was magical.  The many restaurants, the pools with swim up bars, the snorkeling, Kids Club, the video arcade.  So many happy memories made.  So thankful Heidi took these photos of us."

The twist this month is to use a stencil on your layout.  I did so with the butterfly, traced onto vellum, cut, then inked the edges.  Our sponsor this month is Artful Delight.  To see the rest of the DT layouts, and get more info on the prize up for grabs this month please hop over to SEM.  Hope you'll have a chance to play along.  Or at least leave me a comment telling me your fave vacation ever, I'd love to hear about it.

Have a wonderful Monday friends,

♥ S. Pin It

One Of A Kind Girl

Can you believe it's April already?  Did any of you have to endure any cruel and unusual April fools pranks?  The girls tried their hand at a couple here before church.  It was pretty cute actually.

Today over at Scrapping Everyday Miracles we have the April Layout Challenge up for you.  Jeannine had a great idea for us to scrap about the person or people in or lives who make us laugh with the things they say.  I had just taken these photos of Eden.  She was up to another one of her crazy shenanigans.  She had the crazy idea to wear her dad's old boxing gloves on her feet, rather than her hands.  She looked hilarious, with her tutu, and leatherette pants.  She was fooling around while I was getting supper prepared, when out of the blue announced to me that she was posing in 3rd position.  Well, right then I knew I had the photos and subject of my layout for the challenge.

Using Echo Park Fabulous collection

The journalling reads: Eden is forever doing or saying the silliest things.  On this occasion I found her sporting her Daddy's old boxing gloves on her feet, rather than her hands, as makeshift ballet shoes.  She was already wearing the tutu, albeit, combined with black vinyl pants, and a bright green tank top.  She looked hilarious.  Once she had her feet comfortably in place, she placed her hands squarely on her hips, and very proudly called out to me "look Mommy, I'm in third position."  As much as this girl of mine can have me pulling out my hair, she is quick to see the humor in things, can laugh easily at herself, and knows how to quickly get the rest of us to join in.

It's a fun challenge, hope you'll join in.  Our sponsor this month is Scrapbook Circle.  A wonderful kit club filled with some of the most recent product.  They're offering up a wonderful prize to one lucky winner this month, so be sure to hop over to SEM, and check out all the details. Pin It