Monday, April 21, 2014

Biking Buddies


The April Challenge at The Two Crafty Scrappers is to use Black on your layout.   I use black a lot as mats for my pictures, (although all my Easter layouts yesterday there wasn't a spot of black) so it was fun to go back to this challenge.    I had this single sheet of bike paper and I just cut an inch of the side and the top and then had planned to put it on a piece of black card stock but for the first time in ages, I was totally out of black, so I used a deep forest green.   Then I matted my two pictures in black (I have tons of 8.5x11) sheets and then with my left overs from one sheet I use part of it for my title strip and just used white thickers on it and did a faux stitch in white.   Then I also matted my biking stickers and added them to the layout.  You can check out the challenge    HERE.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Easter Cookies


Happy Easter to me.    I've had a very nice and quiet day at home.   We just finished a great Prime Rib Easter dinner and now more relaxing time.     Even though I wasn't with the grandkids for the holiday I did get to see lots of pictures of them on FB and had a FaceTime phone call with them this morning.
During their Easter party with friends and neighbors yesterday beside coloring eggs and having a big hunt, they also had sugar cookies that everyone got to decorate, so have these cute pics of Mylan working on her cookie.    I used the sketch from April 15th challenge at Stuck Sketches ?!
You can see it below and check out everything about the challenge   HERE


Easter Egg Hunt



This is my second Easter layout for this year that I've made today.   I was fortunate enough to get a lot of pictures off Facebook of the grandkids with their neighbors and friends having a big Easter party yesterday.    I'm loving the fact that I get to enter this layout in three different challenges.
For this layout I used the above sketch from Sketch n Scrap blog.   I just tweaked the sketch a bit from 3 pictures to 2 pictures.   I really liked getting to put all the patterned papers together behind the picture.  I use Pink Paislee Color Wash collection again for this layout.
 You can check out the challenge   HERE

For  the 2nd challenge I am going to enter it at the Die Cut challenge: Anything Spring at
Stuck on U Sketches.    I cut 2 tag die cuts and then put a die-cut bunny on them and I also have an
egg diecut on my layout.    To me Easter is the first celebration of Spring so this layout worked out great.   Be sure and check out this layout   HERE.

Then the 3rd challenge I'll be entering I just saw this morning when I checked out the blogs I follow.
The new challenge at Lasting Memories is #187 'Easter Hunts are On'    they just wanted a layout about this years or last years Easter and I had these pictures of the result of the grandkids egg hunt.
Click   HERE   to see the details of this challenge

Easter 2014 collage


My DIL posted this collage picture yesterday on Facebook.   All the neighborhood friends got together for their Easter party yesterday.   They dyed eggs and decorated cookies and then had a big Easter Egg hunt in the backyard.      I'm so happy my son and family have moved into such a great neighborhood with so many friends for them and the kids.   I miss them here in Kansas City but can tell how happy they are now in Texas.   For the layout I used sketch #77 at My Scraps and More.
It's the latest Friday sketch.   You can check out the challenge     HERE
You can see the sketch here too as I have copied it for you.   The supplies I used included Mustard Seed Tim Holtz distress ink for all the edges,  Pink Paislee lemon alphas and the Pink Paislee - Color Wash collection for this layout.    The 3 egg embellishment is something I've had in my stash forever and a day and the colors just blended in so well with my papers.   I don't have any true Easter papers but I think this collection is going to work great for any other Easter layouts I make this year too.

Here's wishing everyone a Happy Easter 2014. !!!


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Chillin


I used the latest sketch #125 at Sketches in Thyme.     I like the simplicity of the sketch and I used it so I could just concentrate on this picture of Dad.     I'm so happy we got to take him on this special vacation last month.   We all had such a great time, most of all Dad.
Check out the challenge with this sketch    HERE

A gift for you card



Last night I was in card making mode.     I actually made 3 cards and that is a biggy for me because I'm usually working on layouts.    I always check out the layout challenges at Nacho Average Challenges and yesterday they had this card sketch for the latest challenge and I decided to go with it.
I really like how it turned out and I even just used a mix of scraps in my scrap drawer, so that is always great to use up those little extras we all save.     I'll probably be using this for a birthday card which I always need so I love building up my stockpile of cards.
Check out the latest challenge at Nacho Average Challenges          HERE

A Happy Happy Card


This is just such a HAPPY sentiment, I wanted to use bright and happy colors for my card and I think it worked out great.   Clean and simple and happy.
I used sketch #18 at Seize the Sketch.   I just rotated it to make it work with my matted sentiment.
Here is the sketch I used below   and please be sure and check out the great challenge    HERE


A Birthday card from a sketch


It's always hard to make male birthday cards, but I think this will work for one.    I've had this stamped image in my stash for a long time.   I just got out my colored pencils and did a little easy coloring.   I used a brown card stock for my base and then I just added the 3 stripes of this numbered washi tape, which works perfect for a birthday card.    To me just a nice simple and cute card.
I used the sketch for this at Sweet Sunday sketches.   It's challenge #25 and you can check it out HERE       One of my goals this year was to enter more card challenges and I just loved this sketch so it was great to work with.      Here is the sketch.

A New Challenge blog is coming

If you have followed my blog or notice the challenges that I enter you would know that is a rare challenge from My Scraps and More that I don't enter.
Well I have good news,  the founder of MSAM, Tammi Bennett  has started a new challenge blog.
Tammi recently sold MSAM and now is trying out new adventures and one of them is to start this new challenge blog.      She has a prize offered now for just joining the site and getting ready for the first challenge which will start on May 1st.   There will be a new layout challenge on the 1st and 15th of each month.    I can't wait and I'm sure once you check it out you will be as excited as I am.

The site is called  Scrap & Play.     Check it out    HERE

Saturday, April 12, 2014

I am 2


Now this is up to date scrapping.  Granddaughter Addisyn's 2nd birthday was yesterday and last night I made this layout of 3 pictures her Mom posted on FB in the morning.   I haven't seen any actual birthday pictures yet but I love these of her happy face so wanted to do this layout.
I used the April 1st sketch at the Stuck Sketches blogspot.    You can read all about the challenge
HERE     and also see the sketch below.
I need to get this picture in an album this morning as we opened up all the windows last night because the weather is nice out and I guess the humidity got to the layout, even though its a card stock base it seems to have gotten a little wavy.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Cool Dudes




I used the above sketch #76 from My Scraps and More blogspot to make this layout.    I just thought this was the cutest picture of Kai and Koda.   I used scraps I think from 4 different collections to make this.  I love it when colors come together from different collections and I get to use up all those scraps that I have been saving.    
I'm always ready for Friday to be close to the weekend and then to check out the latest sketch at My Scraps and More for the week.    You can check out the challenge   HERE>

Our Guest Cottage





Here is the sketch I used for my layout.    It is the  Sketchy Friday 4/11/14 sketch just posted 
at the Shop Scrap Much blog.    Check it out     HERE
I've been wanted to make a layout showing the Guest Cottage from our vacation house rental.  
So this sketch worked perfectly for it.    The main house had the master bedroom,  master bath,
full 2nd bath, kitchen, dining room, living room, and laundry and of course all the out door area behind it.  The swimming pool and the gorgeous ocean just at the back yard.   So we all spent 
full days there.   But then step out the front door at night thru a gorgeous courtyard of palm trees
and tropical flowers and just walk a few steps to the guest cottage, which had an enclosed porch with a little table and chairs which was perfect for reading or relaxing before bed and then there were two nice bedrooms and a big bathroom with a huge shower.   Just perfect for Dad and Arthur & me.

The other challenge I'm going to enter this layout in is the 4-11-14 challenge at Frosted Designs 
Handwriting and Inks     You can check out this challenge    HERE
For the challenge you could make anything you want just so it has some handwriting on it and some ink.     Well I have my journaling in my handwriting, plus I add the word "Our" to the title on my layout.    The inking is Chocolate Brown Craft Spot ink around the edges of my vertical stripped paper behind my pictures.   Then I also used a brown Tombow Art pen to draw my circle in my layout.    Tracing dinner plates always works    :)

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Beautiful



I saw this sketch #86 at Feeling Sketchy and knew I had to do another vacation layout with another scenery picture.   The sketch needed an oversized picture so I printed this one at 6x8.   I took so many different pictures of this area.   The view out the back door of our vacation rental.   Could sit on the lanai for our meals and see this,  sit out by the swimming poor and hear the waves.   Just beyond beautiful.   I'm ready to go back.       Check out the challenge    HERE


Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Wedding Card


Yesterday I made a couple of "pre" wedding layouts for my daughters upcoming wedding on May 4th.    Today I was up early and made this card to give the happy couple on their wedding day.
I've had this cute little bride and groom die-cut for awhile now and then to go with it.   I pulled out my SRM stickers and found this perfect greeting from the Fancy Sticker Sentiments #55003 Love.
Lots of great love sticker on this sheet but this was the one perfect for my wedding card.
I'm going to enter this card in the April challenge at SRM Celebrations.  
You can check out the challenge for yourself    HEREhttp://thesrmchallenge.blogspot.ca/2014/04/challenge-1-celebrations.html

Making Pre-Wedding Layouts




Less than a month till Leslie's wedding and less than 3 weeks till I go to DC to help out with the last week pre-wedding stuff.   I can't wait.      So in thinking about the wedding today I decided to go ahead and make a couple of pre-wedding layouts.   One I made was pictures from the last fitting of her dress and then this I made today from the pictures Leslie sent me on Sunday when she went to her hairdresser to start deciding on how to do her hair for the wedding.    To make the layout I used the new sketch at Let's Get Sketchy.    It's the first sketch for April.     Check out the challenge   HERE>
and see the sketch below.




Sunday, April 6, 2014

CAS - Birthday Card



I used the sketch on top here from Clean and Simple Stamping to make this b'day card.
Even with the yellow flower background paper, I think since its on a dark brown card base and border and a tan card stock with the greeting stamped on it, I can use it for a masculine b'day card.

Plaza Bunnies


Another Friday and another sketch at My Scraps and More.   this is sketch #75 that was announced 4/4/14.   I always look forward to seeing the new sketch each Friday.     So a new sketch and a layout with new pictures.   I just took these yesterday while we were walking around the Plaza before we went to dinner.   Check out the details of the challenge    HERE   and see the sketch below.


Fajita Night on Vacation

 It seems this week I've been making layouts with multiple pictures.   I already made 2 layouts with 5 pictures each and now I have one made with 6 pictures.     I used sketch #66 at Let's Capture Our Memories.      Below is the sketch    and you can check out the full challenge     HERE
My journaling talks about how much fun it was to cook at home even during vacation.  We rented a house in Hawaii and it was so well equipped it made cooking while on vacation fun, plus they had 2 different sets of fantastic dinners so was just fun.   Plus when you are cooking and you have a view of the ocean just a few yards away, who wants to go anywhere else.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

D.C. Visit


Leslie's Dad had a 4 day visit to DC last week for a pre-wedding get together.    Leslie said the weather was cold and wet the whole time but they did go out and do more sightseeing so I got these pictures of FB and made the layout to take to her at the end of the month.  
I've had this single piece of DC paper forever so was great to use it.   I thought it was fine for the sketch I used.      Check it out     HERE      and below.    It's sketch #74 at My Scraps and More.