Two St. Patricks Day cards

I've been holding on to this sketch #002 from "PAPER PLAY SKETCHES" till I saw what was the weekly prompt in my two yahoo groups where we are creating a card a week from prompts.

I had a feeling whatever the prompt was I would be able to use this sketch and I was right.

The prompt was St. Patricks Day card.    So first thing this morning I got both cards made.

I have the sketch for you to see below and just click on the link "PAPER PLAY SKETCHES"

for all the details and to see what the design team made.   You have about 10 days left to play along.

You can enter as many times as you want using the sketch.

Christmas 1971

I have been holding onto the sketch and plus 3 challenge at "SCRAP OUR STASH"  since it was posted the middle of the month.    I just wasn't sure what pictures I would want to use.   But I was looking through some old photo albums today looking for winter pictures and I found these from Christmas 1971.   I look in my Christmas albums and realized I had never really scrapped anything from that Christmas so I knew the four pictures would work perfect for this sketch.

I went to my cube with Christmas papers and I had collections from both Echo Park and Fancy Pants.

From column 1  ---   I used a heart doily.
From column 2  ---   I used Echo Park - Seasons Greetings collection papers
From column 3  ---   I used Fancy Pants - St. Nick collection papers

Family- Grandparents

I had this picture of my brother and his ex-wife with their grandson Silas all printed and ready to scrap at some point.   When I was checking blogs first thing this morning I saw the newest sketch
at    "SCRAP MUCH?"  and knew it was one I would like to use for this picture.

I chose the Everyday Moments collection from Elle's Studio to sue and then some misc. embellishments for the title and little heart accent.

JUST LOVE THIS BABY

I went back to look for some newborn pictures of Silas and found this one.   I believe this was right after he was brought home and was a week old.   I used the Cara Bella Baby Mine collection.
I had bought this to do a album for my husbands first great nephew so only perfect I keep using it here on the album for Silas.

So for a special baby boy I am going to enter this in two different challenges.

First I used the February 14th sketch at "THE STUDIO CHALLENGES"  along with using the sketch you were to use a heart on your layout and I have 3 wood veneer hearts on my layout.

Next I went to "LASTING MEMORIES"  because I knew they were having "the blues' challenges the month.   I used the mood board #281  which had dark and light blues and also some greens.
So I have all of the colors in the papers on this layout and the dark blue with my card stock matting

Here is the sketch and the mood board and click on the links above to go to each blog for all the details.

A Niece and a Great Nephew

I must be getting really old.  Not only do I have an adult niece I now have an almost one year old great nephew.    WOW.      They live in Sydney, Australia so I won't be able to meet Silas, my great nephew until this coming Christmas, so as I get pictures off of Facebook that I really like I'm making layouts as that will be my gift for my niece and her partner this Christmas when they are visiting here in Missouri for the holidays.

I used everything for this layout from American Crafts - Plus One collection for this layout.
And I used the my take from the week 4 sketch at   "LET'S GET SKETCHY"    for this layout.
There are still 2 1/2 days to enter.

Revisiting our Mt Rushmore trip

This layout came about in such an odd way.    I've had the sketch from Make it Monday #54 at
"THE MEMORY NEST"  since it first appeared on their blog.    I just couldn't figure out what and if I could work with it.   Then yesterday I was shopping at Michaels and saw this package of Heidi
Swapp chipboard frames on clearance and bought a pack because this sketch came immediately to mind.    I haven't ever really used chipboard frames for a picture but now I might be hooked.

I started looking at old vacation albums and I realized I really didn't have that many pages scrapped from our trip to Mount Rushmores back in 2008 so I printed these pictures to use with the sketch.

I'm really pleased when I didn't give up on this sketch because I really like how it turned out.

Here is the sketch below and check out the details for the challenge........ HERE.

Vegetables

I'm back after a brief break to making layouts of my great nephew Silas.    I just love this expression
on his face looking at this piece of broccoli.    I think it's precious.

I bought 3 Martha Stewart punches on clearance today and came home and used this one right away for this layout.    When I chose the sketch # 472 at "SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES"  to use for
this picture, looking at it closely I thought using the sketch would be perfect with it.

Here is the sketch I used and check out this challenge and the others   HERE  for Scrapbook Challenges.

Pasta

These two kiddos LOVE LOVE LOVE spaghetti.     So their Dad took them out for a spaghetti dinner
 after a trip to the zoo.      And lucky for me he shared these pictures with me.

I used the Feb. 15th sketch at "SKETCH-N-SCRAP"   to make this layout.   I used all papers from the
Elle's Studio - Let's Eat collection.   The Pasta title I had in my stash and dos the doily, but everything else came from the collection.   Instead of my usual matting of my papers this time after everything
was down on the background paper I just got out a black markers and traced around all the edges
to give each piece a little of its own detail apart from what it was touching.

Another Get Well Card

In one of the yahoo scrapping groups I'm in we have a 52 week card making challenge with a new prompt every week.   It could be a theme, a color combo, a technique, a different folding card.
This week the prompt was to make a Get Well Card.      So I started looking for a good sketch to
work with and I had this one from   "SKETCH-N-SCRAP"  that I had been saving to use and
this was the time.

Check it out below and click   HERE   for the details on the challenge.

Dallas Zoo Time

This must me zoo scrapping day for me.   I have so many zoo papers and embellies that I have not used in literally years.    Earlier I made a layout of my St. Louis grandkids at the zoo there this month
and now this one of my Dallas grandkids at the zoo there on Valentines Day.

I used the sketch at "PAPER ISSUES - FANS & FRIENDS"   and then I'm also entering it at
"USE YOUR STUFF" challenge blog.   The challenge they posted today was to use more than
one photo and I have that covered with my three pictures.    So just check out the challenge and start using all those pictures you have and get them on a layout.

Get Well Soon card

I have an online scrappy friend who just underwent surgery for cancer a couple of days ago.

Many in our yahoo group have been sending her cards over the past couple of weeks since she got the news about the cancer.    So I made this card for her yesterday to put in the mail to her.  

I'm going to enter this at "SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES"    for Sketch Crew Crush: Lori challenge to make a greeting card.     In fact Lori is in the same yahoo group with us.    So thanks for the inspiration Lori.

Zoo Day

This last week was beautiful across Missouri even with days in the low 70's.    So there was a trip to the zoo in St. Louis for the St. Louis grandkids.   Looks like they were having a great time.
Look at those shirt sleeves in mid February.   I love it.

I used sketch #470 at "SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES"  and I'm also going to use it for a challenge in my yahoo group "Scrappin-n-Chattin"  we have a challenge to use at least 3 stars on our layout.
I got out my star washi tape to use on this layout and a star embellishment to journal on.

You have until midnight the 29th to enter all the great monthly challenges at
"SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES."

Cousin Time

After winning the December double page layout at  "STICK IT DOWN"   I was asked to be the 

Guest Designer for the double page sketch in February.    I really loved working with this

sketch because I got to do two of my favorite things,  matting all my patterned papers and then 

layering everything and I sure got to do that with this sketch.   Fun times.

Hope all of you enjoy working with this sketch as much as I did.

Look at Me

This is the last picture I have printed right now of Silas that I'm ready to scrap.   But there are a more on more computer I've already saved and more in Facebook to choose from.   So I'll be back with more, maybe even this coming week.    He is about 6 weeks shy of a year old in this picture and he
is really loving being able to stand up now.   He can walk but only by holding onto things.   But that is allowing him to go just about anywhere he wants now.    The fun of raising a toddler is about to begin in full force for these mommies.

This layout I'm entering at 'SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES"  it is Sketch Crew Crush: Ashley and her challenge to 'scrap like me'  I scraplifted her layout that they chose for this challenge.
I really like the simplicity of this layout  with the small and very large banner.   Just my style.
I love banner flags.

You have until midnight the 29th to enter any of this months challenges.

Now That's Breakfast

A breakfast like this deserves a 2 page layout and also 2 challenges to enter it in.

I knew I wanted to enter  SketchCrew Crush Cathy at "SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES"  here challenge was to do a double page layout.      So there is one challenge but I wanted to find a
sketch for a double page so I went to "SCRAP MUCH?"  and their  Sketch-y Friday challenge on Feb. 5th is a double page sketch.

Check out these challenges by clicking on the links above and here is the sketch.   There is still time
left in the month to enter both.

Play Time

Silas got to go out and play in a ball house for the first time.    So that of course deserves a layout.

For this layout I used the Sketch-y Friday 2-16 sketch at "SCRAP MUCH?"
This was fun trying to find all kinds of different papers with a variety of colors to go with the balls but not necessary the pink around the structure so for an offset color I picked a pale blue as there were some pink like colors in my background paper, along with blue, red, green, yellow and white.
Some black card stock matting to separate everything .

Check out the challenge details   HERE  and I added the sketch too.

Together

Happy scrapping day for me.   I'm having a great day, between sitting outside in our great February weather and back inside to scrap I have to say its a great day.

Here is layout #2 for the day.   I had this new picture just a few days old of Gibson & Addisyn and I just had to scrap it.    The way they look at each other and have so much fun together, just an awesome brother and sister.       I did a lot of combining of papers for this one.   The background sheet is a single piece I had left from the Crate Paper - Acorn Avenue collection and then my main paper under the picture is from a single sheet from Bo Bunny - Family Is collection.   The B side of that paper is also where I got the "you and me" square and I combined two other individual square to put the boy & girl silhouette together for more embellishing.   The 2 stripes of paper I used above that paper is cut and using both sides from one piece of paper from Cosmo Cricket - Upcycle collection.
The two circles and the blue cloudy paper were from my scrap drawer.

I'm going to enter this into two different challenges.

First off I used the Feb. 15th sketch at "STUCK ?! SKETCHES"    I  just had to rotate it 90 degrees to make it work for my picture.  

Next the Sketch Crew crush on Kate challenge at "SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES"  her challenge was to use a mixture of graphic patterns in your layout.

Here is the sketch.

Is This All

Yeah, I'm feeling like the flu bug has left me, although my hubby came down with it last night, but today while he rests I have plans to scrap all day.

Not much snow at all here in Kansas City this year but I still wanted to make one wintery page for the year.   So I took all 3 pictures that I have for the year and put together this layout using the sketch #471 at  "SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES"  

Week #6 PL pages

If you know me you know I have to keep up with my PL pages.  If it get over 2 weeks behind then I'm lost and have no idea what to do for the pages.   I actually think I'm taking pictures during each week thinking PL.   I know I'm addicted.

The PL page challenge for February at the Facebook page for "PAPER ISSUES FRIENDS & FANS"  was to make using any of these options: a January or February PL pages from this year,
use at least 3 hearts, or PI paper pop.   I have last weeks pages and well more than 3 hearts as I
really concentrated throughout the week on what was going on for and about Valentines Day.  

Week 7 PL title card

I am getting over the flu and yesterday afternoon was first time since last Saturday that I've felt like even thinking about scrapping.     So to get my feet wet again I made the title card for this week for my PL pages.   Nothing else done yet accept a couple of pictures taken that I know I'll be using.

For this card I was inspired by one of my fellow DT Mavens Felicia's take of Sketch #15 made by our own  Angela Smith.  I pretty much totally scrap lifted her card.   I don't get to work with her sketches unless I make something not on my week
for a reveal at  "SKETCHES IN THYME PL STYLE"

Check out the sketch below and check the blog   HERE  every day to see what each Maven makes and every week for a new PL card sketch to work with.

There is a great prize this month.     A Fabulous Instalife album in a fun red polka dot pattern.

Amsterdam Waterways

I'm going to go back and try and finish off layouts from different vacations and make sure I've scrapped all the pictures that I want to from each trip.    This was probably my favorite vacation ever.
In 2006 we took a 10 day vacation and flew to London.   My daughter was in college in Oxford so she joined us in London for a few days to sightsee there, then we moved to Oxford for a few more days and then on to Amsterdam for 3 nights before back in London for 2 days before going home.

I loved Amsterdam.   It was cold there, the end of March so taking the water taxies to sightsee was perfect.  A lot warmer (but still cool) and so relaxing and just loved seeing all the buildings and house boats along the canals.   We took several trips this way and it was great.   Saved our feet too. LOL

I used the 2-15-16 sketch at "LET'S SCRAP" by Michelle VanWyke.    It worked out perfectly for the pictures I had left to scrap.     Check out all the details and enjoy the challenge.

LET'S EAT

Now this is the face of a little boy loving the big people he is eating.  :)    His mouth is full and so are his hands.    Got to love it.

This is my take on using the a card sketch to make a layout and that was this weeks challenge at
"ELLE'S STUDIO"    Of course with this food picture I had to go with one of my favorite collections
of Elle's Studio papers.   The Let's Eat collection.   Everything is from it accept the card stock matting, the thickers for the title and the delicious embellie, which believe it or not I got from a
food magazine advertisement.

I have to say it was fun working with this sketch.    Check out all the details  for the challenge
here at  "ELLE'S STUDIO"

Grandparents

These are Cec's parents and Silas's grandparents that also live in Sydney.    I've never met them but I have to be sure and include pictures of them in the album I'm making of Silas.   I have very few pictures, but these two were great.   They were taken while they were having a dinner over at their house and enjoying some outside warm weather.    I've had this matted grandparents poem from a swap for many years and really didn't know if I would ever use it.   I was actually looking for
embellishments to use in my "family" draw of goodies and came across this.
I had already picked out the Make It Monday Sketch #53 at   "THE MEMORY NEST" and had paper cut for the strip down the left side to go with the sketch, but then when I saw this poem I knew it would work perfectly,  it was even matted with a purple print and yardstick just like Nestor's shirt int he picture.   So I just made a thin double mat on my grey patterned paper (to go with the fence in background and siding on house) with purple and grey.    I decided to go with no title and just add a wood 'Love" piece for a single embellishment.

Here is the sketch and check out the details here for this challenge at "THE MEMORY NEST"

A New Card Challenge blog

Woo Hoo, there is a new card challenge blog just starting this week.   It's called.......
"PAPER PLAYER SKETCHES"   and I'm entering this card in their first challenge.
You can see the sketch below and click   HERE    for all the details about this challenge.
There will be a new sketch every other week.   With this first challenge #001 ending on Tuesday Feb. 23rd so well over a week left for you to enter.

I also got to do my favorite thing when making this card.   Everything was in my scrap drawer.    I even fussy cut the partial circle from a scrap piece I had saved from other patterned paper.

Citizenship Day

And here he is again, my great nephew Silas.   His Mom was born in the USA, in Missouri and then moved with her Mom to Australia when she was 5, but has always kept dual citizenship since she was born here, her Dad is here and comes back for a long visit every year.    So when her son was born, she wanted him to have dual citizenship too.    So the application was made and its all official.
Silas has dual citizenship in USA and Australia.   So   I wanted to document this using the pictures they shared.   The two with the flat was the day everything was done and approved and then a picture the day the certificate arrived making it fully official.

For this I used the sketch from  "STUCK ?! SKETCHES"  February 1st sketch.   You will have a chance to win one of two prizes or to be a guest designer for a future sketch.

Next I am going to enter this layout at  "SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES"  the sketch crew crush Mandi's challenge 'Stacked & Layered"  I like to layer a lot of my papers so I had no problem with working with this challenge.

Check out all the details  HERE. for STUCK ?! SKETCHES

Check out all the details  HERE  for "SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES"

Stick It Down-Single page layout

I have to say I had a blast making this layout.   When I first saw the single page February sketch at
"STICK IT DOWN"  I really wasn't sure what I would do with it.   If I would just pick one piece of background paper I really liked that had some pattern on it or what.   Then I decided what the heck I'm going to try and duplicate the pattern in the sketch and just see what it looks like.

I started by picking out 4 different patterns for the Bo Bunny Key Lime collection 6x6 pad that I had.
I cut them all into 3" squares and started laying the out on some tan card stock as I didn't want a lot of color showing through.  But that wasn't' looking right for me.  So I cut out 3.25" squares of black card stock to mat each of the patterned papers and then laying them all out again.    I should have taken a picture of the whole piece before I cut off the edges to fit the 12x12 background.  It was huge.

I had already picked this picture of my nephew Silas to scrap, because it is so neutral in colors and that is why I also have the 3 squares of the tan patterned paper in it, just to bring everything together.
I went back and forth on adding a title, even if only his name, but I'm decided to stay as is, no title, no journaling, no embellishing.

Check out the challenges here at "STICK IT DOWN"   there is a card sketch, a single page and a double page sketch to work with.

Time with Bam Bam

When my brother Bruce, Silas's grandpa was in Sydney to visit late last year they did post a few pictures of the two of them together.     He is going to be known as Bam-Bam, hence the title.

I used the sketch from week 2 at "LET'S GET SKETCHY"  to put together this layout, it was perfect since I only had 3 pictures to us.    I'm hoping to have a lot more when he goes back the first of March.    But for now I have this layout made.

Here is the sketch I used.