Creative Scrappers Reveal #252

It's Reveal Sunday over at Creative Scrappers, and I'm so excited to share my take with you.

I used the gorgeous Teresa Collins Summer Stories Collection for this one.  I can't believe that I had never really known much about her collections until just recently at CHA Summer in Vegas.  Her colour schemes are gorgeous, and I really love the quantity and variety of the embellishments she includes with each collection.

Check out this sketch.

I think I may have a sketchy crush on Jenny.  It's always fun to work with a design that is quite a stretch outside of my comfort zone.  I was totally inspired by the strips, and the fact that the TC collection came with a package of border strips was just perfect.  (I added a few more created out of patterned paper to make up some of the colours that were missing.)

Wanna play along with us?  Hop over to the Creative Scrappers Blog to see how the rest of the team interpreted the sketch, and check out our sponsor info.  You have until October 31st to link up your newly made creation here to qualify for the monthly prize. Did you know you can also share your creations with us on our Facebook Page, and even on Instagram by tagging #CSsketches.  We love to see your work.  NB: winners will ONLY be selected from layouts linked up to the blog post using the Inlinkz tool, so be sure to link up there too.

Happy Sunday friends, and thanks so much for stopping by today! Pin It

Moments In Between Album Aug 11-17

Another Moments In Between share for you from the week of August 11-17.

Another speedy spread using very little embellies

Once again I used bits and pieces of the This Life Noted and August Main kit from Scraptastic Club. The October kits look amazing, you can get yours by signing up here.  You can also view more layouts in our Gallery here, to see how others are using the kits. Pin It

Pinterest Inspired

Had this little tutorial up on the Scraptastic blog earlier this week.

Our Scraptatic kits often include washi tape, and I'm not always sure how to put mine to use.  When I found this washi tape banner on Pinterest, I thought it would be fun to recreate it on a layout.

source

I simply grabbed a length of American Crafts jute.  And tore off about a 3" length strips of washi, folding it around the jute and adhered it to itself.

Once my banner was complete I created the base of my layout.

I then placed my handmade banner where it worked best.

You'll noticed I went with the traditional pennant style rather than the basic triangle shape for my banner.

And here is my completed layout.

The Quote is also a Pinterest source.

I used both the We Are Family Main Kit and Add on Kit featuring the Teresa Collins Family Stories Collection, to complete this layout.

Has Pinterest inspired you lately?  What have you created with that inspiration?  I would love to come over and have a peek.

Thanks for stopping by today friends.  Have a wonderful Thursday! Pin It

My Weekend Away

Happy Wednesday friends.

I can't believe it's the middle of the week already.  I feel like I lost a day because Darwin and I were gone for a quick get away this past weekend.  We took off late Saturday night for Minneapolis, arriving very, very early on Saturday morning, and returning back late on Monday night.  We caught a few hours sleep after arriving at 2 AM on Saturday, and then headed to the stadium for some pre-game tailgating before the Vikings versus Browns football game that afternoon.    This was my very fist NFL experience.  Even though the Vikings are not my "home team" I got into the spirit by sporting a Peterson jersey (thanks to my buddy Johnny).  It was actually really cool to be a part of the sea of purple and yellow all around the stadium inside and out.  There was a super talented band with a small brass section playing cover songs outside, to which some dude was dancing his buns off in front of everyone (very entertaining).  The national anthem was sung by some trio I had never heard of so melodically, it was seriously the best singing of any national anthem that I have ever heard.  The Vikings even have their own drum line group called Skol Line.  If you know me at all you'll know how much I loved watching them.  I've included a link to a You Tube video of them.  It's quite lengthy, but if you're interested in checking them out you won't be disappointed.

Here are a few pix of our time away.

The couple next to us were BIG Browns fans, they were kind enough to take our pic.

After the game my friend Bronwyn and I headed to The Mall of America to do a little shopping.  I was so happy to run into the ever so bubbly, kindhearted, and oh so funny Aimee.  I was really hoping to see more peeps since it was the final day of Scrapfest, but because we got there so late most everyone was gone.  Of course we had to get a pic in front of our favourite tags in the industry, none other than Chic Tags of course.

Later that night (so sorry I don't have a photo) D and I headed to Maynard's sports bar to watch our "home" team the Chicago Bears take on the Pittsburg Steelers.  Great food, great game, and the best part ... they won.

On the way home, Monday afternoon, we took a small detour to a little place I like to call Scrappy Heaven on Earth.

This was my first ever visit to Crafts Direct, and let's just say I was not disappointed.  So many goodies, and almost everything I was hoping to find there was on sale.  Ka-ching!  I am most excited about having picked up this collection.

And this fabulously fun Amy Tan stencil....among other things.

Our time in Minneapolis was short and sweet, and exactly what the doctor ordered for this couple who have not seen much of one another since school began, with the way that Darwin has been travelling.  I love that football is something that will always bring us together.  I also love that he is a man who "gets" my scrapping and is happy to sit at a booth and work away in the Crafts Direct coffee shop while I peruse the isles in a leisurely fashion picking up scrappy supplies.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you enjoy sharing in my non-scrappy life too.  I'll be back later in the week to share another Moments in Between spread with you.  And don't forget you still have a couple of days to link up to Creative Scrappers Sketch #251.  We'll have a new reveal ready for you on Sunday.

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Goodbye Cre8tive Cre8tions

Andrea at Cre8tive Cre8tions has been on busy woman, and with that means not enough time to dedicate to a design team to show off her store product, including paper, stamps, and flair.  I have loved my time with her and some super talented women from all around the world.  I wish her all the success in the world and am grateful that I will be able to keep up with her adventures through Facebook and Instagram.

I thought that today I would share with you the last of my projects created for her back in June.

The other Mr. of our home, using some Pink Paislee and Silhouette cuts.

Some added Chic Tags goodies, and Silhouette cuts here.

All Cre8tive Cre8tions papers with some masking and Silhouette cuts.

Another opportunity come and gone.  I will always be grateful to Andrea and Thomas (her hubby and partner in the biz) for giving me the chance to work with their fun products and represent their business.

Thanks for stopping by friends.  I hope this weekend brings you rest, and lots of time with the ones you love most. Pin It

Moments In Between

Is it just me that feels incredibly tired these days?  I can hardly keep my eyes open past 9pm, it's terrible. Maybe it's all the single parenting I've been doing the past couple of weeks.  I have the utmost respect for single moms, it is such a tough job to do alone.  I am so very grateful that my situation is only temporary.

Just wanted to quickly share my August 4-10 Moments In Between spread.

I was actually kinda glad when my bike tire popped at the lake.  I knew exactly how I was going to use that super cool Maya Raod bike clip.

This spread was made using the August Out On The Town Kit and Add On kits.

Another pretty quick spread.  I realized now though that I forgot to journal about why I have that photo of my friend Ruth all decked out in her Arborist gear (top photo on the right side of the spread).  She was a total rockstar one weekend out at the lake when she took down a dying and very precarious tree from Deb & Terry's yard.  It was so cool seeing this meek, beautiful woman go to town on that tree, climbing it like no body's business and instructing all the big strong men where to stand and what to do to help her guide it down into the right place.  I was extremely proud watching her do her thing.

That's it, for today friends.  Thank you so much for all your kind, and encouraging words yesterday in regard to my new DT spot with A Flair For Buttons.  I sincerely appreciate each word.  I hope I'm able to inspire you with way to use flair buttons in your paper crafting.

Happy Wednesday, we're halfway to the we Pin It

The Secret is Out

Some exciting news to share today.

I'm thrilled to be joining Shelley Haganman and her team creating with her gorgeous flair buttons. Shelley is the whole reason I began using flair in the first place.  I first heard of her though IG when my friend (and fellow DT member) Diane Payne posted a photo of some of the flair she had ordered from A Flair For Buttons Etsy shop.  I was instantly hooked and placed my first order shortly thereafter. Want a little sneak peek of the flair that I'm going to be working with shortly?  Of course you do!

Honey Honey1

December 2013 set 1

Bright Geotags 2

Around The World 1

Cute, aren't they.  And I have a bunch more making their way to me as you read.  Can't wait to start incorporating them into my projects.  

I'll keep you posted for my very first post on the A Flair For Buttons Blog.

Feel free to pop over today and see what Daniela has up to inspire you.

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Reveal Sunday

It's Reveal Sunday over at Creative Scrappers, our first week back, and I think we're all equally excited to be here and share with you our first reveal of this new chapter using sketch #251 created by Kristine Davidson.

First up is my take on the sketch.

Jounaling reads: It was the week of Dance Camp when Théa and Haley decided it was time for their puppies to meet.  A quick call to Tara and a date at the park was in order.  08/20/13

I used the new Hello Again collection by Kaitlin Sheafer, and simply freehand cut a bunch of circles in alternating sizes, stacked them together and stitched away to create all the circle elements.  A few Studio Calico Sequins, and wood veneer shapes and a few hearts, and brands from my stash, and voilà, done.  The photo is of my middle daughter and her friend with their puppies Wilson, and Jake.

Here are a couple detail shots.

See the super cute Maggie Holmes flair buttons?  I got them at CHA in July.  They are not actually flair buttons, but badges.  I simply removed the pin from the back and used Glue Dots to adhere them to may page. 

And those little banner strips are actually from the cover sheet in the collection.  I like the tiny patterns on them rather than the larger ones from the 12x12 sheets.  Talk about recycling heh?!

Here is Kristine's sketch.

You can see I stayed pretty true to the original idea, only substituted a few hearts for the starts, and changed my title and journal placement a little.  Sketches are a great way to get the mojo flowing when you don't feel inspired.  They're also an excellent way to break out of your shell.  I especially love playing with multi photo sketches since they are not my usual way of designing a page.

Our sponsor this month is Crazy Monday Kits.  To be eligible to win a scrapbook kit from CMSK, all you need to do is create a layout based on Sketch #251, and link it up to this post on the Creative Scrappers blog using the inlinkz widget at the end of the post.  A winner will be selected on October 1. You may enter as many times as you like using a new layout each time.  Good luck, hope to see you there!

Happy Sunday friends! Pin It

Catching Up

It's amazing what a little prep can do to help one get caught up on documenting unfinished weeks.  On Sunday night while watching football I sorted, printed, and stuffed my photos into slots for the past 4.5 weeks.  Using the Photo Cal App, and my Canon Selphy really helps with the process.

Here is the first of my completed weeks.

This was the week of August Long.  Most of the photos are actually from the weekend.  

I'm kinda in love with that title card, it's so colourful and fun, if I do say so myself.  Most everything on the pages come from the August Scraptastic Club Kit.  I have pretty much killed off the kit by using up all scraps on my Moments In Between pages.  I love their This Life Noted Kits, but I really wanted to take a little break from them for a bit just to use up my kits as much as possible.  I am not a hoarder, and greatly dislike waste, so it makes me feel so good to have used up the whole kit.  

All in all I made 4 layouts, and 3 Moments In Between spreads with my August kit.  They are such a great value for your money, and Jessica puts together some really fabulous kits.

Here is what's on it's way to me this month.

The We Are Family kit is full of Teresa Collins goodness.  I just love the colour combos here.

This is the Add On Kit I'll be adding to it.

And this is the coordinating stamp set.

I especially love those doily stamps.

Jessica's kits are such a great value, and she puts together the best assortment of papers and embellishments.  Last month, I completed 4 layout, and 3 Moments In Between Spreads using just one of the Main Kits and it's coordinating Add On kit.  The kits really do go far, and having everything pre-selected really does help take the guess work out of mixing & matching.  I'll have more of my Moments In Between pages to share with you next week.

Be sure to pop back on Sunday as I'll have my very first reveal for Creative Scrappers up.  Can't wait to share it with you.

Thanks for stopping in today, and I hope you have a great day.  Leave me a comment, and I'll be sure to repay it. Pin It

August Colour Suite

Thought I'd share the first of two layouts I had up at the Scrapbook & Cards Today blog last week.

This is Angela, one of my dearest friends on this earth.  We don't get too many photos together that we both love, so this one we got during our brunch date last month: of course had to be scrapped.

I used the summery colours of the  August Colour Suite Challenge to create this layout.

Lots of layered goodness, of course.  I just love the ephemera pack.

The "enjoy" is a Heidi Swapp cut file.  That I offset quite a bit, and tinkered with the keep the proportions right in my Silhouette Cameo.  I then used 3D foam squares to pop if off the page right on top of the photo.

This layout has quickly become one of my all time favourites.  I just love the way the colours, and all the design elements work together so perfectly.    

Thanks for stopping by today.  Leave me a comment, and I'll be sure to stop by and leave you some love at your corner of the web too.

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Sister Love

I've got a quick layout to share with you today using the new Memories Captured collection by Fancy Pants.  I happened to be working at the Scrapbook Store the day this line arrived, and fell in love with it as I was unpacking it from the box. 

The colours worked perfectly with these photos of the girls I had just printed up from our August long weekend away at the lake.  Because I was at work, I didn't have my regular tools and supplies on hand. So I worked with what I had and kept the design quite simple.  A few layered blocks, and a border punch and that's about it.

 I just love the extra large flair that Fancy Pants has come out with for their new collections.

The banner is actually made from stickers from the sticker sheet.  The sheet has a ton of elements to work with.

I was really impressed the the Fancy Pants booth at CHA, they have some really cute lines coming out, full of really fun elements like tags and flair.

What are you still anxiously awaiting from the new releases?  Link me up if you've created with some already, I would love to have a peek.

Thanks for stopping by today friends.  Have a wonderful day! Pin It

Documenting CHA

I've finally documented my CHA experience through photos.  I decided to skip the mini, and simply stick the pages directly into my Moments In Between album, using hockey card pages as little insert for all the extra photos I had for the week.

Here is what the weekly spread looked like.

 Close up: left side

 Close up: right side

 Here is the front cover of the insert pages

 First set of insert pages

 Second set of insert pages

 Last page: devoted to Carol and her family.

Such a great experience.  This was like completing 4 weeks of life into one.  It took me a full day to do, but I'm so glad I did it, and I really love the outcome.  I used the Scraptastic August kits to complete it, with a few things from my stash.  You can see this months This Life Noted kit here.  The main kits can be found here, and here.  Make sure to also check out the stamps, and add ons kits too.  I can't wait to get my hands on these!

Thank you for stopping by today friends.  I haop you have a wonderful weekend.  As for us, we're headed to the lake one last time for some good old fashioned low key, games playing, no technology hang out just us together time.  See you back here on Monday. Pin It