Kai to the top

Whew, talking about waiting till the last minute.   But I had this single picture of Kai that I just got and I had been saving the sketch from week 2 at "LET'S GET SKETCHY" and they worked great together.     Here is the sketch below and click above to go to the link.

Thanksgiving Card

Nothing like waiting till the last minute to enter some challenges for the month of October.   I just didn't get as much scrapping done this much as I usually do.   For being a scrapping addict, scrapping time was down.   :(

"SISTERHOOD OF SCRAPPERS" challenge is Fall and what it means to you.   Thanksgiving to me is the ultimate Fall celebration.   Here in the midwest we never know what the day will bring, could be temps in the 30's or 70's.  I remember one year we carried the table outside and set up on the patio.  Now that was fun.

 I couldn't pass up this sketch from "SKETCH-N-SCRAP"   It was perfect to do some layering, that I love and it worked great for my Thanksgiving card.   Even though I will see most of my family at Thanksgiving I still send out cards.   Hey if you enjoy making cards you should send them out.

Just click here on 'SISTERHOOD OF CRAFTERS" to read all of the details for this challenge.

Take a look at the sketch below and here is the link for the card challenge  "SKETCH-N-SCRAP"

Hilo

Yes I'm still doing older vacation layouts.   I think I've now pretty well finished this Hawaii vacation from March of 2014 now.   It was fun going back through all the pictures again.

For this double layout I used the newest double page layout here at "SCRAP MUCH?!"
I  just love all the sketches Laura Whitaker comes up with and this one was no exception.
This sketch will start out the newest challenges every Friday for November.
Check it out below and join in the fun.  You have all of November to enter the challenges.
Go to   "SCRAP MUCH?!"  to read all the details.

Brunch

I take a lot of food pictures from what we are cooking at home or what we have out at restaurants so when I saw the challenge at  "LASTING MEMORIES"  I  knew I would be entering.

Challenge #264 is "A Hot Meal and Washi, Washi and more Washi.

These are pictures from out brunch a couple of weeks ago at our favorite brunch place.   We hadn't been there in a while so it was great to go again.   I used only 2 different washi tapes, but  five strips of it. I love this potty people tape and used 3 strips of it.   This is the 2nd time I've used it on a project this week.   Then I just went with some green gingham tape so go with colors I was using on the layout.

Check out the challenge  here at  "LASTING MEMORIES"  there are still a couple days left to enter.

Powell Garden

It took me practically the entire month since it was announced but I finally got the right pictures together to make my layout for  the SCRAPTOBER FEST.     At this challenge you can make your project to cover just one of the challenges or up to all four that are in the challenge.   BUT, if you enter all three with your layout, then you qualify for a bonus prize drawing, who doesn't like that.
The bonus prize is a $40 GC from one of the sponsors or two $20 GC from two of the sponsors.

Whew, I just made it and got to enter with all 4 challenges with this layout.   My problem was always coming up with scrapping myself.  But this weekend we went out to Powell Gardens outside of Kansas City and took a lovely afternoon fall walk around the area.

Here are all the challenges included in SCRAPTOBER FEST,  you can just click on each link to get complete details on each of the blog.   More info than I have here.

"CHALLENGE YOURSELF"  --- easy peasy, just include a photo of yourself on your layout.
Well wasn't so easy peasy for me, because that was the hold up of finding a couple of pictures I liked of myself and yes I wear glasses but a lot of times take them off for a picture so you got me both ways on this layout, from pictures probably taken a minute apart.   LOL
The prize here is a $20 GC from "The ScrapRoom"

"SCRAP OUR STASH" --- easy peasy again, just use a least 2 different pieces of washi tape on your layout.  I have the wide polka dot piece behind the pictures and then another strip with potty people on them across that strip.   I liked this challenge because without it I usually forget all about it and don't use it enough, but it is a great thing to add to your layouts.   The prize here is a $25 GC for "The Cut Shoppe"

"MY SCRAPS & MORE"  --- this challenge is a color challenge.    I have the color swap below.  I got lucky, I pulled out 4 different collections to look through and then found all the colors in papers from the Amy Tangerine - Finders Keepers collection.   Don't ask my why my wide washi tape looks red in this picture because in reality is a lot closer to the hot pink in the color swap, but its ok I have the color covered in my papers and matting.

"THE MEMORY NEST"  is the 4th part of the complete challenge and they provided the sketch that I used.   I love this sketch and will probably use it again, as it is a great two picture sketch with many ways to go with it.   I switched it up some with the washi tape strips and the flower embellishments.    Here is the sketch.    The prize here is a $20 GC from "The Memory Nest"

 

Street Views of New York

We did a lot of driving around Manhattan so I took some pictures from the car and decided to do a layout of a few of them using this NY paper that I've had forever.   I based this on the sketch Make it Monday #48 at "THE MEMORY NEST" .   I only used one piece of paper and then my four pictures in the design they had and my title along with embellishments.    I actually made part of my title using a 3D embellishment.    Check out the challenge   HERE   while there is still a few days to enter.

Christmas Past

While waiting for 10 days to get a new photo printer I went back and looked through my stash of pictures I had printed and never made into layouts.   I couldn't believe I had several from Christmas 2011   (disregard date on bottom picture it's been changed)    I got out my Christmas album from that year and realized compared to other years there weren't that many layouts so I went to work.
I even have 2 pictures left that I want to use on a layout for sure,  then decide if I will do more.

I LOVE making Christmas layouts, it is a passion, you could tell if you could come into my scrap room and see the 2 drawers of Christmas collections and individual papers, then there is also the 2 drawers of embellishments.    Yeah I love Christmas scrapping.   So besides what I haven't used yet on layouts I also have 4 completed 3D albums full of completed layouts, going back to 1951 and pictures from the Christmas when I was just 8 months old.

The challenge at "PAPER ISSUES BLOG"  Fan-atics round 2 is to scrap something you are passionate about.   Well here you go I'm passionate about Christmas.    The other options on this challenge is to show a Halloween project or to download their free printable "Favorite Time of the Year" and use it on a project.       So check it all out    HERE.

Picnic

I have lots of new pictures to scrap and way behind on what I wanted to make this month.   But we got back last Friday night from our trip to NY and I started to print new pictures on my photo printer to scrap and it is broken and spreading ink everywhere.   A new one was ordered immediately but it won't be here till possibly tomorrow so I went back through some older pictures that I had printed and never scrapped.  

This one is from our last night in Hawaii in 2014, we had to leave our rental house by 10 am and our flight home wasn't till 10 pm, so had a full day of no where to stay.    So did some more driving and sightseeing and then just got tired and found a park by the ocean and had a picnic for our last dinner and just sat and relaxed and rested,  Bruce took this selfie of us and I had forgotten all about it.
This works out perfect for the challenge #262 at "LASTING MEMORIES"   The challenge is
"Summer Time Fun" with using silk or paper flowers.    So I had this great silk flower that went perfectly color wise with my plaid paper and used it here.     I think this will really finish my Hawaii trip album.

Check out the details of the challenge here at "LASTING MEMORIES"

Give Thanks

I got out two things from my stash I rarely remember to use.   First my dry embossing folders and then my water colors.    I knew I wanted to do a fall like Thanksgiving card so I used my leaf embossing folder first, wasn't sure what I would do next but decided to  use my water colors and paint the leaves different fall colors.   Then I just added a simple sentiment sticker from the Photoplay Autumns Day collection.

I'm entering this card at the latest "USE YOUR STUFF CHALLENGE"    #196 - Thankful.
Check out all the details   HERE.

Best Meal On Trip

I just made a very simple layout about this meal we had on our trip.   We didn't eat anywhere overly special on the trip until Tuesday night when we spent the night in New Jersey before going into NYC the next morning for our ferry tour around Manhattan.    We looked online to see what was in the area and found this Portuguese Restaurant that sounded interesting.   I'm so glad we picked this place as it was awesome.    I picked up a business card on our way out and used it in the center of this layout and then just wrote about all we had to eat around each of the pictures.       The challenge at
"THE PAPER GIRLS"   #89 is Food, so this layout is perfect for that.     I barely got it finished as the challenge ends tonight but this is my first time to scrap in 10 days.

Good food and finding fun non-chain restaurants is a guilty pleasure for me and I sure got just what I was looking for here.    That is why I am entering this layout at "PAPER ISSUES" and their Fan-atics Round 1 challenge.     Check out all the details at "PAPER ISSUES"

Eat

I'm back to adding the last layouts I want to make for past vacation trips to their albums.   This was from our vacation to Kona, Hawaii in March 2014.    We rented a house right on the ocean with swimming pool and everything.  It was hard to leave the house and do anything else.   But upon arrival we found a grocery store and stocked up with snacks and things for some of our meals in.
This included our first breakfast of bacon and eggs, fresh pineapple and of course Kona coffee that we bought to make every day.    Everything is so much more expensive at the grocery stores than they are here in the midwest but a whole fresh pineapple was only 99 cents, so we always had that.  It was so good.

Being on the Design Team at   "SCRAP MUCH?!"   we get the sketches early so I found the perfect four pictures to document our first breakfast.    Must of our breakfast and coffee times were spent outside on the covered patio.   But we had a family "sit down" breakfast on the screened in porch off the kitchen that first morning.

I am also going to enter this layout over at "THE PAPER GIRLS"     Their challenge #89 is Food.
Make any project you like with the subject of food.   This layout is all about the food we had for this fantastic breakfast in Hawaii.

Check out the sketch below and then go right on over to "SCRAP MUCH?!"    and get all the details about this weeks challenge and join in with us.    This was a great sketch by our own Laura Whitaker to work with and I know you will love it too.

Sunflowers

I heard about this sunflower farm by chance on Facebook and so glad I did.    I asked the hubby to take me on a little 45 minute drive to find this place and we did.   We went the day after Labor day and Labor Day weekend they posted everything was at their peak and would still be okay through the following weekend but don't wait any longer.    I'm so glad we went.  It was beyond gorgeous.

So many people were there and just wandering through the fields and all taking pictures.

Being on the Design Team at "Let's Scrap" I knew if I just looked at upcoming sketches I would find one that I could used to really show lots of pictures.    I added two more picture than was on the sketch and less embellishments and changed it some to use a panoramic picture and cut to fit across both pages.

Now its time for you to check out the sketch and see what you can do with it.    Michelle van Wyk made this sketch that goes live today 10-15-15.    I can't wait to see what you do with it.
So see the sketch below and then go to  "LET'S SCRAP"  and see what the other great Design Team members have done.

SL-500

I just had to make a layout about Arthurs pride and joy.   He has been wanting a classic "fun" car for ages now and had a couple different ones in mind.   When he saw the ad for this 1999 Mercedes SL500 and that it had low miles, hardtop included and the price was just what he wanted he jumped on it.   We had to drive to Chicago suburbs to see it, after a few phone calls and pictures were sent.
Luckily since we picked it up in July the weather has been fantastic and I think he has driving it just about every day.    I got to have my picture taken in it because my Dad wanted a picture sent to him, other than that I did get to drive it the grocery store one day.  :)
We broke down and even got vanity plates for it.    The R standing for "Our" even though it is all his, he let me share in the license plate. LOL

When I saw the sketch for week #1 at  "LET'S GET SKETCHY"  I thought it would be perfect for the picture of each of us in the car and also of the license plate.    Check out the details  HERE  for the challenge and see the design teams take on the sketch.

I'm also entering this at "PAPER ISSUES" and their Fan-atics - Round 1 challenge.  Show what you are a fan of.  Sports team, food, or a certain paper manufacturer, you name it.   Well I'm a fan of this car and how happy it makes. Arthur.   Be sure and get in on the fun at Paper Issues.  Check it all out
HERE.http://paperissues.blogspot.com/2015/10/new-issue-fan-atics-round-1.html

Halloween card

I'm having fun making my Halloween cards for the grandkids and other family members.   Yes even my grown kids, brother and Dad get Halloween cards from me.

I am entering this card at "THE PAPER PLAYERS"  And their challenge #PP265, a themed challenge to create a card or other project with the theme being Halloween.

Check out all the details   HERE.

Christmas card

I made a lot of Christmas cards in July.   But a scrappy friend told me about a site that was collecting Christmas cards to hand out to the residents in Nursing Homes.    Since I use to work some in Nursing Homes I was really drawn to this as I know the cards will put a smile on so many faces.
The problem was they only wanted the A4 size  and I had made some of those and some larger.
So I'm another Christmas card making run.      Today I used the new sketch #45 at  "ALWAYS PLAYS WITH PAPER"    I just added a sentiment strip at the top.   I first stamped on the holly paper but just didn't shop up well, so cut a strip of card stock and stamped on that so it would stand out better.

Check out the sketch below and go here to "ALWAYS PLAYS WITH PAPER"  to read all the details on the challenge and see what the design team made.

Special

My daughter and my Dad have such a special bond.    I love this picture of the two of them so wanted to make a layout for her album.   I've already printed the picture and sent it to Dad.

I used the September sketch at   "MY CREATIVE SKETCHES"   it was a perfect sketch for just one picture.  Plus I love banners.   :)        I just recently bought a few sheets of the Bella Blvd - Family Forever collection and it was perfect for this layout.    Then I used solid card stock for the banners and matched the colors in the lower paper on the layout.

This challenge is still open until midnight October 14th so you still have time to join the challenge.
You can see all of the details here at  "MY CREATIVE SKETCHES"

CUTE

Love these kids so much.    These were pictures posted on Facebook of Kai and Mylan all ready to go to school and have this years school pictures taken.   I have a feeling they are going to be really good.

For this layout I used the Oct. 1st challenge prompts for   "PICTURE THIS"   the challenge is to use  3 pictures, chipboard and stamps.      My chipboard is the two different hearts and then for stamps I used my love stamp and then also to blocks that I did my little bit of journaling in.   The date of the pictures and that they were going to have school pictures taken.

Check out all the details here at  "PICTURE THIS"  

Alley Springs

Alley Springs in southern Missouri was a place we went to every summer when visiting my great aunt and uncle and also many other times when going to my Grandmothers we would go her for a picnic.  It is so beautiful there.  My daughter and son-in-law, along with my brother and Dad were back there over Memorial Day weekend.   I made this layout for my daughters album.   She got me started on scrapping and now I make all her layouts.

I used the newest sketch at "SCRAP MUCH?!" to make this layout and it really was the perfect one for it.    I used papers from an old collection.   Authentique - Loyal.   I haven't used these papers in a long time but I just love the colors and I thought they went well with the pictures.

Check out the sketch below and just go to  "SCRAP MUCH?!"  to get all the details and see what the rest of Design Team A did with the sketch.    You have until midnight Oct. 29th to get your entry in.

Grandad Bluff Park

At a glance these pictures might not look like they belong together but they really do.   We drove up to Grandad Bluff and parked and walked up to the overlook.   It was so pretty up there.   But on our drive up we saw this cute little bar and grill set along side the road and into the hillside called Alpine Inn so we decided that we would stop there for our lunch stop after we walked to the overlook.
Perfect stop for both.   A lot of history on the bluff to read about and then beautiful vistas to look out on and flowers along the path leading to the overlook.   Then lunch stop was great too, great scenery out the window and good burgers and sandwiches and since we were on vacation, time for a drink too,  so 3 of us had Bloody Marys with a beer chaser.   They were great and the perfect place to sit and relax for over an hour and plan our next stop.

I used the latest challenge sketch at "LET'S SCRAP"  for the 10-1-15 challenge.   You can see the sketch below that was made for the challenge by Michelle van Wyk.   I changed mine around by adding some other small pictures where the sketch had embellishments.     Check it out and see how you want to use the sketch.     Just click here on
'LET'S SCRAP"  and  read all the details yourself and see what the other design team members did to inspire you.    Looking forward to seeing your layouts.   Also our sponsor this month is Stampendous.

Best Bike Shop - London

I was pleased to be asked to be a Maven at "SKETCHES IN THYME"  for a few months.     I love this blog and challenge site so I was quite honored and gladly accepted.

I was with my daughter and son-in-law earlier this week and Jason knows I'm the one gladly takes all their memorabilia from trips and such and makes layout for them.   So he handed me this B 1866 card.    I had seen the picture posted on Facebook from when they were in London last month.

Jason is a big biking enthusiast and rides daily and is on a team.   So he was thrilled to see this shop in London.   I know nothing about it but he was all excited.    So he picked up their unique business card and handed it to me this week knowing I would use it in a layout.

The week 1 sketch at "SKETCHES IN THYME" was perfect to use this along with Jasons picture in front of the shop.     Can't wait to see what everyone else does with this great sketch.      I have it here on my blog below and you can read all the details about the challenge  HERE

Also look below the sketch for the image of the great prize for October.

This Steampunk Scoundrels stamp set.