Friday, July 31, 2015

Oxford


My goal is to catch up on scrapping old vacation trips.   This was back in 2006 when a major part of the family went to London.   My daughter was in college in Oxford so we went to visit while she was there and able to be our tour guide.  It was myself, my husband, my dad, my brother and my nephew and we had a blast.    Oxford was beautiful and these a just a few of the sights we saw.   I had started this album soon after the trip and have several pages made but not near as many as I could with all the pictures I took.   Plus some of the pages were from my first days of scrapping so I had 10 pics on a page cut into small shapes with deco scissors, oh what a change I have gone thru in my style.   Back then I knew nothing of sketching and embellishments.     So now today I got to use a great two page sketch at "Scrap Much?!"      I love the sketches Laura Whitaker makes and there is a new one here at "Scrap Much?!" every Friday so I hope you will check them out    HERE   and join in the fun.
Plus there is always a fun monthly prize up for the winner.    For all of August weekly challenges you have till August 29th at midnight to post your entry for this week and the other Friday challenges posted during the month.  Just come back every Friday and check them out and see what each Design Team has done.
Here is this weeks sketch.


Thursday, July 30, 2015

and now a Halloween card


Since I've been on a card making binge this month and I've finished all my Christmas in July cards I decided what the heck, lets make a Halloween card.   Last year I used absolutely everyone I had made to send to grandkids and family so now I have my first one made for this year.

This is my 3rd card using the sketch at "JO'S SCRAP SHACK" for the Fun-Day-Friday challenge.

I just love this sketch, so versatile,  I've made a Christmas card, a birthday card and now a Halloween card using it.    Get the details   HERE.    I bet you will like it as much a I do.


Wednesday, July 29, 2015

A Birthday card


I broke away from my marathon Christmas card making.  To make this Birthday card.   I used the sketch at "JO'S SCRAP SHACK" blog and her Fun-Day Friday sketch.   I loved this sketch and this is the 2nd card I've made for it.       Check out the details   HERE.http://jwscrapshack.blogspot.com/2015/07/ffc-98-its-sketch-time.html


Freshly Made Sketches card


I only have a couple more cards to make to finish all my cards for Christmas in July for the yahoo scraping group I'm in.   One of the prompts left for me to work on was to have an elf on the card.
First thing this morning I went to the "FRESHLY MADE SKETCHES" blog to see what the new challenge was and found this great sketch.   So I went right to work on this card and using my elf

You have until midnight Monday to enter your card for the challenge.   I have the sketch below and you can read all the details for yourself at "FRESHLY MADE SKETCHES" and also see the inspiration from the design team.  


Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Vintage Christmas card



For this Vintage gatefold card I used Authentique - Festive 6x6 pad.   I think I only have 3 pieces of paper from this collection left.     On the inside of the card I used an ATC card that has a little vintage ribbon across it.  I'll be said to see it go, but I've been holding onto it since it came out in 2012 and just bring it out for those special cards.

I am going to enter this card in the "JINGLE BELLS"  - Spirit of Christmas Past challenge.

You can see the Design Teams inspiration   HERE and link your creation.

Christmas in July -Nutcracker Card


I get to use this cute little Nutcracker Christmas card for three challenges.    First I was inspired by the sketch #311 at "TUESDAY MORING SKETCHES"

2nd challenge is challenge #34 - Anything Goes at "WEEKLY CHRISTMAS CARD CHALLENGES"

Then I will also enter this in one of my yahoo scrapping groups "SCRAPPIN-N-CHATTIN" for our CIJ prompt - Nutcracker.

My matting, background paper and banners were all done with scraps I've been setting aside.   Soon I won't have a Christmas scrap left.    That would be awesome.

I've added the sketch below and just go to each challenge link below to read more details.

"TUESDAY MORNING SKETCHES"    You have 5 days left to enter.
 
"WEEKLY CHRISTMAS CARD CHALLENGES"   3 1/2 days left to enter




Ho Ho Ho


For me it's been Christmas in July I have all of the Christmas cards I will need this year made this month.   What an accomplishment to not have to worry about this in December.     Plus I've been really cleaning out some of my old Christmas papers and embellishments.   Which I have tons of, maybe now I won't feel guilty when I buy new things this year.    :)    I just can't resist.

For this card I was inspired by the July card sketch at "STICK IT DOWN"    This was such a clean and simple sketch and so many ways to go with it.    I wanted to stay with just traditional red, white and green as my colors.

Check out  "STICK IT DOWN" for all the challenges and see the sketch below.


Monday, July 27, 2015

Live, Laugh, Love


I really like this card and hope my friend I'm giving it too, will like it also.      I used the sketch #255  at "The Paper Players" as my inspiration for it.    I had the tag already but decided to mat it in black and then use a black border at the edge of the card and add black ribbon.   Then for a little sparkle I added the rhinestone for the dot on the i.

This is a great sketch I'm sure I'll be using again and again.    Check out the details for it at
"THE PAPER PLAYERS"   you have till Friday night the 31st to enter.


Christmas Songs



I was inspired to make this Christmas card by the song 'O Christmas Tree'   The notes and words on the background paper are to that song.   So I just added my own Christmas tree to it .

I'm going to enter this card for the new challenge 'music notes/instruments'   at "SCRAPPING 4 FUN CHALLENGES"    I thought this card follows this theme perfectly.  You have through midnight August 6th, European time.

Check out all the details   HERE.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

OH Deer


The July challenge at "SWEET STAMPING CHRISTMAS"  is Oh Deer.   Just have a deer on your Christmas card.   And here is my 'Oh Deer' entry    I just love this fun dear and his big antlers.

Check out the challenge here  "SWEET STAMPING CHRISTMAS"  and join in the Christmas fun every month.   Still just over 2 weeks to enter because the new challenges aren't announced till the 2nd Wednesday of the month.

Tuesday Morning Sketches - BRRR



I'm sitting here scrapping the day away because its to hot and humid to go outside.   Heat index today is 106.   So what would be better than instead of suffering from the heat but make a winter scene greeting card.    Don't you agree?    
Actually in my yahoo scrapping group one of the prompts this week for our Christmas in July challenge is to make a card with a scene.   So this is my scene,  Old man winter blowing his cold air in on the snowman sitting in the snow with snowflakes falling from the sky.
I found the perfect sketch to us also for this over at  "TUESDAY MORNING SKETCHES" wither their sketch #310, I just rotated it to make it work with my center scene card,  I used a couple of snow related patterned papers and then to tie in the red scarf on the snowman I matted the scene in red card stock and then used red and grey ribbon as a border between my two papers.
Check out the details for the challenge  HERE   and see the sketch below.


Fun-Day Friday Sketch



The Fun-Day Friday Challenge #98 over at Jo's Scrap Shack blog was this great sketch.   It is such a fun sketch with so many ways you can go with it.  I made mine into a horizontal card.   We had a prompt in the yahoo scrapping group for our Christmas in July to use a bird on one of cards so I thought this sketch was perfect for that too as my embellishment.    

Check out the challenge    HERE,     and I have the sketch below.  

You have till 7-31-15 at 6:00 pm to enter.     There is a great prize too,   1 stamp set and a 6x6 paper pad from Lawn Fawn,  would be perfect for making more cards.


Sketch Frenzy Friday - Winter Fun card



I had a prompt in one of the yahoo scrapping groups I am in to make a card with a snowflake for one of the Christmas in July card challenges.      So when I saw the sketch the other day at "SKETCH FRENZY FRIDAY"  I thought the circle on the sketch would be perfect for a snow flake,  I just combined 4 different snow flake patterned papers, used my cricut to cut a snowflake and found a winter sticker to use as my sentiment, inked some of the edges and I had my card complete.

Check out the "CHECK FRENZY FRIDAY" challenge and see the inspiration from the DT.  You have 11 more days to enter using this sketch.


Friday, July 24, 2015

Note Card using burlap



I needed a card for a male neighbor that has been sick lately so I was looking for papers that weren't to girlish and I found these.   Then things started going together.   For a yahoo group I'm in we had a card prompt this week to make a card and use some burlap.   I had burlap left from the table runners we made for my daughters wedding a year ago.    Then I started looking for sketches I might be able to use and I thought the July week 3 sketch at "CRAZY 4 SKETCHES" was perfect.    I just unraveled some of the burlap instead of trying to cut it as a banner and then stamped my sentiment on a piece of tan card stock using a brown distress ink and added it to the top of the burlap.

You can see the sketch below and check out the challenge details here at "CRAZY 4 SKETCHES"


Thursday, July 23, 2015

Hoover Museum



I wanted to make one more layout from our visit to the the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library.   I had a couple of pictures of everyone looking at the displays and thought those would be perfect to use in this sketch #155 from Week #1 at "SKETCHES IN THYME".     I used Theresa Collins papers from the Hello Life collection.   I got to add the great ticket we got for the museum entrance, was a great keepsake with a full picture of the library on it.   So that became my 3rd picture and title.

Check out this challenge and sketch and the other July challenges at "SKETCHES IN THYME."
The prize sponsor for July is 'Chickydoddle' and a $15 shopping spree.





Christmas in July Z-fold card



I've only made a couple of Z-fold cards but I really do enjoy the process and the look after they are finished.    I just used two different patterned papers that would compliment each other.  I used a holly pattern on one side and a large poinsettia print on the other, but with the folds, they both show.
I added a die-cut green wreath and added some red beads for berries and some dimension.

There are several Christmas in July challenges going on this week.   I'm going to enter this card into two of them.

First "SCRAP-CREATIONS BY KRISTEN"  has a Christmas in July challenge.     Then also the same challenge #225 at " DIE-CUTTIN' DIVA'S"    Just click on these links to go read all about the challenges yourself and enjoy some Christmas in July creating.   I know I've been enjoying making lots of my Christmas cards early this year.

PEACE



It's Christmas in July and there are a lot of challenges out there celebrating that as their challenge for the month or week.   Even a couple of the yahoo scrapping groups I am in are having daily prompts to make Christmas in July cards.   One of those prompts this week is to have the word PEACE on your card.        I have had this bling peace sticker in my stash for ages, so finally decided to use it.

"NACHO AVERAGE CHALLENGES"   has a great sketch this week that was perfect for this.
Even thought its just a sketch challenge and not Christmas in July I still wanted to use the sketch for this Christmas card.  It's sketch #151.

I will also enter this card at "TUESDAY THROWDOWN"  where they are having a Christmas in July challenge this week.

Check out the details below for both challenges.    Plus I have added the sketch.

"NACHO AVERAGE CHALLENGES"

"TUESDAY THROWDOWN"


The All - Stars


My Dad loves loves loves baseball.   So when we went to the Twins game and we saw these statues, I had to get pictures of him with them.    The first statue is Kirby Puckett and the one batting is Harmon Killebrew.     He really enjoyed seeing these.   Even though a lifelong St. Louis Cardinal fan and National league fan, he loves going to other stadiums and seeing other teams.     On this trip we saw Minnesota Twins play the Detroit Tigers.   Two teams he had never seen in person.

I used Kelly Hotifield's sketch at "SKETCH-N-SCRAP"    I had my baseball background paper and then went with the red speciality paper to go with the stripes in the balls and then blue star paper since Dad had on a blue shirt.     I added a baseball bat and ball and a single star by my dad for my embellishments and that was it with me red and white title.

Check out all the details for all the "SKETCH-N-SCRAP" challenges    HERE    you still have 8 days to enter all of any of them.


Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Touring the Brewery



I wanted to make a layout using the July 15th sketch at "STUCK ?! SKETCHES",   plus I also wanted to use some of the memorabilia from the Brewery Tour,   We got a postcard and then the brochure about everything.     Well by using my imagination I used all I wanted to use and pretty well stayed with the sketch with my own interpretation of elements to use.    The Leinie's sign on the cutout of Wisconsin on the front of the brochure was what I used as my tag that is in the sketch.
Then I cut down the postcard to fit at top right as an embellishment there.     Then instead of some other patterned paper or embellishment below my picutres,  I fussy cut the row of bottle caps that was across the inside of the brochure.

Check out the "STUCK ?1 SKETCHES"  challenge details.   You still have time to enter before the month is up.    There are two great prizes available this month for this sketch , so one prize for two different winners,  a  $25 GC at Creative Embellishments and a DCWV stack of winners choice.    So check out this great sketch by Laura Whitaker and see what you can do with it.   I sure had fun with it.


Beer Tasting



I made this layout using the sketch at    "SCRAP MUCH?"  the sketch was for Design Team B to
work with.

I'm on Design Team A but this sketch was perfect for a couple of my pictures from our road trip.
Theres were taken at the Leinenkugel Brewing Co. after our brewery tour we got to have a beer tasting of any of the beers they make.  I admit I found a couple of new beers that I really liked with this tasting.

Check out the challenge  HERE  for this Laura Whitaker sketch at  "SCRAP MUCH?"
You still have till midnight on the 29th of July to enter any of the July challenges.


Harry Takes a Trip



Harry, Leslies' stuffed monkey, went with us on our road trip with.   His favorite stop was the Olbrlich Botanical Gardens in Madison, WI.   :)

The double page sketch at "STICK IT DOWN"  was perfect for these pictures of Harry at various spots along the gardens, with the first picture of Harry packed and in the car ready to head out.

Take a look at all the July "STICK IT DOWN" challenges   HERE.


Sunday, July 19, 2015

Travel and Explore


Sometimes things just work out perfectly.    Our mail usually doesn't arrive till around 5:00 pm and yesterday I got some papers I had ordered,  so I just left them sitting out on my desk and didn't put them away.   This morning I was up early to get some scrapping done because I have a lot going on this afternoon.   I looked for a new challenge and went right to "LASTING MEMORIES" to see what todays challenge was.    Perfect timing, todays challenge is a color challenge, and guess what, just the perfect colors of the papers I got yesterday and were sitting right on my desk.    So I went right to work on another vacation layout.     The only color I added was some black for the matting.   I did my matting a little different this time, instead of matting each separate picture of piece of patterned paper.
I put everything together first, pictures on the gold card stock, then I glued that to the first piece of patterned paper and then onto the other piece of dotted aqua patterned paper.   then I just laid the whole thing onto a piece of black card stock and just matted around the outside borders of the piece together.

So check out the details at "LASTING MEMORIES" and see if something comes right to mind and works out for you too with this color challenge.    It is a beautiful color palette.


Saturday, July 18, 2015

Leinenkugel Brewery


If you are following my blog you know that I was on a family road trip last week.    One of our stops was in Chippiwea Falls, WI to tour the Leinenkugel Brewery.      We all really liked it and it was interesting to tour a smaller brewery.   Of course the beer tasting afterwards was a lot of tun too.

For this layout I used the single page sketch for July at " STICK IT DOWN"    It was perfect to use for the 5x7 picture they took of all of us.

Check out all the details for the challenge at "STICK IT DOWN"  there is still time to enter.


Herbert Hoover


We stopped in West Branch, IA on our last day of the road trip and toured the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library,  He is also buried here and the home he was born in is also on the site.
This is the 4th Presidential Library I've been to and I would really like to visit more.

Sorry about the lighting on this layout.   It's just been so dark and dreary with all the rain we have been getting its just been hard to get a good picture.

We had such a great time seeing such a variety of places on this trip.

For this layout I used the Make it Monday Sketch #44 at "THE MEMORY NEST"   Leslie Germain made this sketch and I always like working with her sketches.   This is part of the summer challenge so be sure and check out that too.

You can read about this challenge   HERE..


Friday, July 17, 2015

Aye Aye Captain


Now that my son and family live in Texas they can take the bass boat to all the lakes pretty much year round.     He even has gotten the kids to enjoy fishing with him.   And here he even got to have fun letting Mylan take over driving the boat and looking at that smile I would say she was having a great time.   So it's Aye Aye Captain Mylan on this layout.    
For this layout I used the single page sketch for my Team A Design Team reveal today, July 17th at "ScrapMuch?!"   I was so glad to see that I still had some boating themed paper left from my Fancy Pants - Down on the Shore collection because it was perfect for this layout.  

See the sketch below and get all the details for this challenge  HERE.
And as always be sure and come back every Friday and see the new sketch and challenge.
I promise you will always find some great sketches and inspiration from both Design Team A & B








Thursday, July 16, 2015

Olbrich Botanical Gardens


This is my first double page layout from  our vacation.   I'm sure I'm going to be making more double layouts as I have a lot of pictures from different stops along our route.   These pictures are from the Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, WI.   I love visiting gardens anywhere and this one was exceptional beautiful.    The weather was perfect so was very comfortable walking all over the place.   I'll be doing another double page of the flower pictures I took there too    I didn't have any double page sketches for new challenges to work from so I just printed the pictures I wanted to use and then started looking for papers and deciding how to lay them out.   Even though I didn't have a sketch challenge, I do have a challenge to enter my layout in.    "LASTING MEMORIES" challenge #249 is to make a double page layout.    The July theme there is "Together" so this would be to put together two pages for your layout.

I found some pretty neutral papers to use for my background papers, because I knew I wanted to use this bold floral print.   I cut the small scallop circle with my circut using the Elegant Edges cartridge.
I cut it at 11" size and then cut in half so it was on both pages.  I had enough from the cut in the middle of my 12x12 paper to have a strip to cut and use as a border on the ends of the papers.  Then I had this green patterned paper and but two banners to go across the center and then started adding my pictures.    Added my title,  Did some journaling on one of the banners and then added 3 flowers with gem brad centers and I had my layout.

To check out the details for this challenge go to "LASTING MEMORIES"

Baseball



One of the things we did on our family road trip, that we just got back from, was take in a Twins baseball game.   My Dad loves baseball so was fun to surprise him with tickets to the game and to go to a stadium he had never been to before.   We got lucky because this was the last game before the
All Star break.

For this layout I used the July 1st sketch at "STUCK?! SKETCHES" .      This sketch with 3 pictures was perfect for this set of pictures,   the  opening ceremonies with the game, with the unfurling of a big flag on the field,  the flyover before the game started and also a group picture of all 5 of us.
The lady in front of us was great and took the picture for us.

Check out the details for the challenge at "STUCK ?! SKETCHES"  and now they also have the July 15th challenge posted.   So check them both out.


Madison, WI


I've been gone for a week and missed scrapping.   We went on a family road trip so I have all kinds of new pictures to scrap.   I started out right away this morning.   Got a load of laundry going and then right to scrapping.   I was rather proud of myself that I did at least start the 5 loads of laundry I need to do.   I had some sketches already printed out before I left so I would be ready to scrap as soon as I got home.   I was looking for sketches to use multiple pictures and this one from Week #2 at
"SKETCHES IN THYME"    Our hotel was right across from the Wisconsin state capitol so we had an awesome view from our rooms and then was easy to just go out and walk around it.   We did that the first evening we were there and then the next day we toured inside.  So yes there will be more layouts from this stop on our trip.

Also I'm going to enter this layout at "LASTING MEMORIES".   The LM #250 challenge is to use
three patterned papers.    I have that covered with this layout    I love combining patterns and I did that here.  I even combined 3 different manufacturers.   I just started puling out some single pieces of paper I had left from collections and got them all to work together.

To get the details for the challenge go to "LASTING MEMORIES" and check this out and the other 3 challenges that have been announced so far in July

Here is the sketch below made by Rochelle Spears, just love her sketches.    And just click here
"SKETCHES IN THYME"   to get all the details about the week 2 challenge and then check all the July challenges.