June project life title card

I just finished my last card for March PL pages so I thought I would give the last May sketch at
"SKETCHES IN THYME PL STYLE" at try and make my June title card.

Only a day left to enter so I hope you will.

STORMS

I said I would be back with another layout using the May "MY CREATIVE SKETCHES" layout  using the sketch.    This is layout #3.     When I'm using sketches I always stay pretty close to just 

what the sketch looks like and I did on this one too.     I have used 3 different border punches on a

3 layouts so they have gotten a work out.     The cloud sticker I used was white but i just rubbed

 some black ink on it to make it look like a storm cloud and I was pleased with how it turned out.

For this layout the papers I used were from the Cosmo Cricket - Wanted collection.   I saw that I

got it at Hobby Lobby, but I have no idea why because its mostly a cowboy collection, but it must

have been one of the times they had collections on sale for at least 50% off or I doubt I would

have bought it.    But I have to say the dark colors did work well for me for these storm pictures.

My journaling is all about the storms we were having every day for a week.  These were actually taken after we got home from an early dinner and we were driving home hearing all the neighborhood

tornado sirens going off.   About 5 minutes after I took these pictures the skies opened up and it

poured and continued all night long.    There was even a brief touchdown (with no damage) just 10

miles away.    So the warnings were true that tornadoes were in the area.

Check out the sketch here at "MY CREATIVE CREATIONS" and all the details to the challenge.

Be You !

I was clueless when I saw this latest prompt at "LASTING MEMORIES"  but I have to admit
it was fun to research some and find out the meaning of my name.
Barbara is from the Greek barbarous and means foreign or strange traveler from a foreign land.
Well I might be a little strange.  :)   But I don't come from any foreign land, just born and raised and lived practically my entire life in Missouri.     But perhaps if you have always lived on one of the coasts you might think of someone from the heartland to be from a foreign land.

To make my layout I took off on the take of travel and found this layout of me on the ferry ride in NYC.   This was my first time in NYC and I finally got to see the Statue of Liberty.

I'be been lucky enough to do a lot of traveling around the USA and also some overseas trip so I thought this background paper I found was perfect for this layout.    I chose a wood veneer word,
BE YOU as my title, because that is what I always say about myself,  I'm just me.

I added the print out of the meaning of my name,   some of my own journaling and also for embellishments   a wood veneer plane and boat, to represent trips by air and sea.

Check out the challenge here at  "LASTING MEMORIES"   I am sure once you get started on it
you will be like me and really enjoy what you find out and how you can make it into a layout all about you.   Even though its the end of May this is actually the first June challenge so you have a month to enter.

Finally

I thought this needed to be documented.   We donated our old family room couch and loveseat and was waiting for what we thought was just going to be 5 days for the delivery of our new sectional.

But then on expected delivery day found out there was a factory delay and would not be till late in May when we got our new furniture.

7 weeks and 2 days we sat on folding camp chairs.   I was not a happy or a comfortable "camper" at all.  So when deliver was made last Saturday I was beyond thrilled.

I used the latest sketch at  "ELLE'S STUDIO"  for this layout and I broke into my Elle's Studio collection of  'Little Moments'.   Everything is from there except Thicker alphas for title and my wood veneer hearts and explanation points.   I decided to water color those to go with the colors in the background paper.

Check it all out here at  "ELLE'S STUDIO"

Xmas 1999

I was at my brothers house this last week and we were looking through some old pictures and I found this one from Christmas 1999 at his house so I got a copy of it so I could add it to that year of my
ongoing Christmas albums.

The week #4 sketch at    "LET'S GET SKETCHY"    It was perfect sketch for a single picture.
Plus its May and I got to get out my box of Christmas papers and pick some really special ones to use on this layout.    I love Christmas papers  and this bold poinsettia design was perfect for this layout because I got to break it up a bit with the solid break two places.    Then just went with another solid and a polka dot patterns that blended so well.

Take a look at the sketch below and check out "LET'S GET SKETCHY" 

! Year Apart

Great pictures like these need to be entered in 3 different challenges.  :)

My neice posted these pictures together in collage form but I duplicated the picture and then cropped it so I could have two separate pictures.    The reason for this is that I just loved the Flashback Friday sketch #3 at  "SKETCH-N-SCRAP"    I loved being able to mix a lot of papers and of course did my matting of everything.

But back to the pictures this is my great nephew with pictures taken exactly 1 year apart.   What an awesome idea.

Then my 2nd challenge is the May Pattern challenge at  "SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES"   the pattern this month was grids.

Then challenge #3 is at  "PAPER ISSUES"   Take Five challenge.    My 5 from the list were.
Title, Date, Ampersand, 3 papers and Black

Here are the challenges and the links.

"SKETCH-N-SCRAP"  

"SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES"

'PAPER ISSUES"

Road Trip to Michigan

Here is my 2nd entry using the May  "MY CREATIVE SKETCHES"  sketch by Christine Meyers.
And I'll probably use it again before the June 14th deadline.

The background for this layout is that I use large D ring albums so I might have 3 or 4 different trips in an album.    So I have gotten into the habit of making cover pages for each trip so there is some type of division between them.     Obviously I haven't done this yet for every trip so still catching up on some older trips and that is what I did today.   Usually I don't have any pictures on these title pages but for this trip back in 2010 I decided to use the sketch and two pictures that I probably never would have scrapped.   Crossing the bridge at Mackinaw City and then the customs coming back from our one night in Canada.    I have no idea why I didn't get a picture of going into Canada but I didn't.

Here is the sketch I used and just go to  "MY CREATIVE SKETCHES"  for the details of the challenge and to see what the design team has done with the sketch.

Inside the Mojo

While catching up on different vacation layouts I realized I hadn't ever made a layout with pictures of the inside of the boat we rented for 4 nights on the Florida Intercostal.      I had the pictures already printed out in 3x4 size so when I saw this sketch at   "SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES"  I knew it would be perfect.   I just pulled out a couple of sheets of nautical paper and my wood veneers and I was ready to go.   I was just going to journal about the pictures but decided numbering them would work even better.

Here is the sketch  its #483  and just go to "SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES" to be inspired by the sketch crew and what they did with this sketch.

Daniel Tigers Neighborhood

These are recent pictures of my granddaughter Avery and her Mom when they went to see a live show of Avery's favorite PBS kids show.   Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.     I've never heard of it but it seems Avery loves it and was so excited to go to a traveling show in Orlando.

I used Sketch #481 at "SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES"    I had to rotate it to make my pictures fit and I kept it very simple.    I didn't even use a true title because I had the one row of words that I thought that was enough as I thought it would include all their thoughts of this special time Mom and Daughter got to share together.

Here is the sketch.

Life is Better at the Beach

It's usually so rare to have pictures of our granddaughters from Orlando as they don't often post on FB but lately have been a lot more posted so yeah for me I have pictures to use for layouts for their album.   When we visit them every year I always take with me all I have made since the last visit.
And they just add them to the big album I gave them the first time.

I don't usually use a solid card stock base for my layouts but for this one using the new sketch at
"MY CREATIVE SKETCHES"  I thought it would work out great and I'm pleased with the final project.   Other than the card stock I used Carta Bella Beach Day papers.    I bought all the papers from collection because I just loved the patterns and colors and then I started thinking......we don't have any beach vacations planned and living here in Missouri there sure aren't weekend get aways to the beach so what will I do with it.    But now this is the 3rd layout I've made in the last 10 days using these papers so I guess it all worked out.    The title for this layout is even from the collection.   I just cut down a 12x12 strip to make it fit and then matted it in red.

All the different shell embellishments I used were from my stash and ones from old swaps over the years I've had.    I'm always thrilled when I get to use some from a swap or something old in my stash of embellishments.

Here is the sketch and you have until midnight EST on June 14th to enter and you can enter more than once, which I'm sure I'll be doing.    Check it all out here at   "MY CREATIVE SKETCHES"

Silas Loves Bernie

I used  Week #3 sketch at "LET'S GET SKETCHY" yesterday to make this layout.    When I got ready to blog about it just now I brought up their blog so I would have the sketch to attach here and then I realized that for week #2 I made a layout with a dog also.     It's funny because here at my house we are surrounded only by cats and it seems like I make more dog layouts.      Last week was my daughter and one of her big dogs and now this week its my great nephew and his Grandma Julie's dog Bernie.    They both live in Australia and I have always seen pictures of Bernie on FB but until they posted these pictures with Silas I had no idea how big Bernie is.    I just love these pictures and especially the one with Silas face hidden as he gives Bernie a big hug.

Check out below this sketch made by Brenshevia and then click here on  "LET'S GET SKETCHY"
and you can see this challenge and the other weekly ones for May.   There are still 8 days left to enter.

Avery earns here Yellow Stripe

Our grand-daughter Avery lives in Orlando so we don't get a lot of pictures of her.   But I have gotten some lately so been busy doing layouts of her.  

Daddy Frank owns several Karate and Tae Kwan Do schools so of course Avery goes to the classes for the little kids.    She just earned her yellow stripe so I had to make a layout for these pictures.

I used the Sketch-y Friday Team B sketch at   "SCRAP MUCH ?"    It seems lately it is hard for me to get a series of more than 2 pictures that go together for a layout so was super glad to have these and be able to use this sketch.     I have Avery and her Dad, Avery alone and Avery with her instructor.

Check out the sketch below and go to "SCRAP MUCH?" for all the details.

A Bucket Full of Memories

I used the Flashback Friday #2 sketch at  "SKETCH-N-SCRAP"    I have had been saving this 2/3 piece of diecut paper forever.   It worked out perfect for this sketch and these pictures.  I just cut off part of the bottom to put up at the top right and it all worked.  

I thought the colors of the diecut worked great for the water in the background of the middle picture and also (to me) looked a little like breaking waves.    Then I found this lone piece of wood grain paper lonely and by itself in my stash and thought it would be perfect for the look of the sand in the pictures.     Added a couple of embellishments and a title and my layout was complete.

I'm also so pleased that I finally used Pinterest and all the things I've pinned over the years on this layout.    I have a board for layout titles and one was a list of beach titles.     The sketch showed a place for a long title and I thought this title was perfect since in all 3 pictures the girls have their sand buckets with them.

Here is the sketch and go to  "SKETCH-N-SCRAP"   to see all the great challenges they have going on in May.     The prize is awesome.  A $20 GC to Scrapbook.com

Bon Voyage

Well I said I was going to keep working on pictures from this trip and here I am.   I am actually
using the sketch from the week before at  "THE MEMORY NEST"   it is the Make It Monday #59
sketch.   This time I used the Craft Smith SeaGlass stack of papers.    Used my cricut that was getting dusty to cup out the shapes.   double matted my picture.   Found this title sticker in my stash that I've had forever and added one simple sail boat wood veneer and I had my layout made.   Easy peasy.

Here is the sketch from the  "THE MEMORY NEST"

Anchors Aweigh

I thought I had lost the pictures from this trip and found them yesterday.   This was a trip we took in 2007.   Arthur loves boats and had one when he lived in Florida and had talked about taking one out again on a vacation.   So he and I and Dad and Bruce drove to Florida and leased this awesome Grand Banks boat for 5 nights.  
I had made about five layouts from the trip but no more and then I couldn't find the pictures again.
So now that I know where they are I get to finish all the layouts I want from this trip.

For this layout I used the Make It Monday Sketch #60 at  "THE MEMORY NEST"    I kept it really clean and simple.    The cross line of color strips is actually the on this wood wash background paper, so one complete piece of paper.   I cut another strip of stripes from another piece from this collection.
Carta Bella - Beach Day and used an exacto knife to cut two lines on the background paper and then wove the cut piece under it.    If that makes sense at all.   :)

Check out all the details for this sketch and the others this month at   "THE MEMORY NEST"

Friday's Child is full of Loving & Giving

I had a challenge in one of the yahoo scrapping groups I belong to to make a layout using one of the day's of the week in the title.   So this will be my entry there.   It certainly does describe my grandson Kai.   He is such a loving child.

I started looking through sketch challenges to use for this layout and I just loved the one at
"SCRAP MUCH?"    It was perfect for just one picture and I knew I could open up my scrap drawer and find all kinds of goodies to use.     Talk about mixing a lot of patterns and designs but I really think it went together really well.

Here is the sketch and just go to "SCRAP MUCH?"  to see the details and what the design team did with the sketch.  Lots of inspiration there.

A Christmas Card in May

I have been looking at the May card sketch at "STICK IT DOWN"  all month and trying to decide what to make with it.   Finally today I decided (while I was sorting card stock scraps by colors)
I decided to make a Christmas card because I had lots of red and green card stock scraps, so that was
what made me decide to make a Christmas card.

I've never made a card anything like this, but what a fun design I'm really pleased I gave it a try
and worked outside the box on something.

There are 3 great sketches and challenges this month, card, single page and double page and now
I've completed them all.

Here is the sketch and see everything by going to  "STICK IT DOWN"

New Car

We got a new car last week.   We got a 4 year lease on this awesome Lexus and is actually $100 less per month than the lease we had before on a Buick.   We had been looking around to trade as our other lease would be running out soon.   We got a flyer in the mail to get a $75 Visa card if we came in for a test drive of a Lexus.   Can't go wrong with just looking.    But we both fell in love with this car that was in the showroom.   The coloring on these pictures aren't exact, the interior is a great two-tone light tan and brown and the exterior is this awesome brown.   For some reason over the years we have always commented when we saw a brown car and liked it but never had one ourselves.
Plus one thing we also said we wanted to look at this time was a hybrid and guess what.    This car in the showroom was also a hybrid.   So after a test drive of another Lexus, same model, different color and getting our Visa GC we spent the next 2 days in phone calls and e-mails coming to an agreement on a price and finally got what we wanted and went in and picked up this one off the showroom floor.
We both really love it.    I'm so anxious to see how the gas mileage does with a hybrid.   So far after a week it the gauge hasn't moved off full.   :)    I love that we will save on fuel costs.

I used the 'May Sketch +3 Challenge' at "SCRAP OUR STASH"

Here are the 3 choices I made

List #1 - My Mind's Eye - and I went deep into my MME stash and pulled out the Kraft Fun Day Collection for the background paper and the Tres Jolie for the other patterned papers I used.   Both are oldie but goodies from MME.

List #2 - I went with the color choice of Naples Yellow  and I have the yellow on one banner the circle with title and then card stock that  the body of my layout is on.    Again sorry for the color of this pictures, but 3 days of rain here not going to do much better.

List #3 - October Afternoon.    My alpha title and the date numbers are from the  October Afternoon Daily Flash alphas - the color is Early American-Shop Front.     These Daily Flash alphas from
October Afternoon have become my go to alphas for so many layouts.   I have them in 10 colors and at least 2 pkgs per color.   I don't want to run out.

Here is the sketch and the +3 choices.   Check out the details here at  "SCRAP OUR STASH"

Lovely flowers

This is the third layout I've made of the flowers we have planted and blooming this year.    There are still more that I haven't used yet.   But I just love when it gets warm enough each year to go to the nursery and buy new flowers,   makes for a beautiful start to spring and then during the summer I just get to sit back and enjoy all that was planted.   This year we did get a few more perennials too so those won't have to replaced next year.   These pictured heres are annuals but they are blooming so nicely now I wanted to get pictures.

I used Sketch #105 at   "SKETCH-N-SCRAP"  for this layout  and my papers are from the Kate & Co. Cambridge Court collection.   In fact it is one piece  the A and B sides.   I just cut it into 4" strips and then put on a background of white paper to keep them together.      The flowers are handmade by
a scrappy friend in a group I'm in and I thought the color was perfect.

I also will enter this layout at   "SCRAP OUR STASH"  May Book inspired challenge.
I was inspired by the rosy colors of the sky in the book cover and the word summer as I will enjoy these flowers all the way through the summer.   Plus you had to use flowers on the layout and I have that in floral paper, flower pictures and 2 awesome handmade flowers.

Check out the sketch below and all the details for this sketch and the others for May here at
"SKETCH-N-SCRAP"

See the book cover below and check out the details here at  "SCRAP OUR STASH"

Ice Cream

There is a chance I'll be out of town next week so I'm trying to get a lot of scrapping done this week.
I had to start today with the Scrappy Friends challenge for May.     I always love trying to put together a layout using all 3 of the challenges together.     I got it done this month.    I loved the sketch from  "GRAND DIVA'S CREATIVE CORNER"    So great to work with and got to blend a variety of patterns together too, which I love.

Then for "THROUGH THE EYES OF ROCHELLE SPEARS"  the This or That challenge for this month was to use Flair or Buttons.   I got to use two cute butterfly pieces of flair that had the 'perfect'
colors to go with my paper colors and the color in the picture of my beautiful granddaughter.

Then last but far from last was the challenge at "CREATING WITH PAPER & MORE"    This challenge was the fantastic mood board.   I pulled from the colors of pinks and blues and even a tiny touch of green.  Then also from the flowers.  I used pink and white flowers and the mood board had pink flowers in it.

Here is the sketch and all the prompts below.    Just click on each link to see more details and
inspiration for each blog.

"GRAND DIVA'S CREATIVE CORNER"

"THROUGH THE EYES OF ROCHELLE SPEARS" 

"CREATING WITH PAPER & MORE"

Roses 2016

I think this is the best year ever for the first bloom or our roses.    They were just so full of buds.
We did have 2 days of heavy rains before I got these pictures taken so some blossoms had been knocked off but still so very pretty to go out and look at.

I used the sketch #104  at  "SKETCH-N-SCRAP"  to make this layout.    I was torn on what papers to use but I had the Fancy Pants Meology collection sitting on my desk from an earlier layout and decided to just use papers from the collection and make them work.    This way instead of picking flowery patterns for the papers I just stuck with flowers on the pictures.

Here is the sketch and just clink on  "SKETCH-N-SCRAP"  and see all the great sketches and challenges they have for May.

Mothers Day Mini Golf

Since my daughter loves to play Miniature Golf I told her the next time we were in my hometown to see Dad again together we would go play at a little course there.   I went to see her for Mothers Day weekend and we went over to where Dad lives Sunday morning so the whole group could go to Brunch together at a place there that just has it once a month and certain holidays.

We had so much fun.   Leslie won by 2 strokes over her husband and I beat my brother.   Always a good thing.   Dad walked around and watched us and it was some great fun as a family.

I used the double page sketch at  "SCRAP MUCH?!"   it was perfect to be able to use so many of the pictures that I took.    I also included our score card.

Check out the sketch below, you have until May 29th to enter.

2 layouts same sketch

Crazy me on a Sunday morning.   I had this sketch from "ELLE'S STUDIO"  out on my desk at the end of the day yesterday to be the first sketch I worked on today.     I knew I would be able to scrap a lot today while I watched all the morning news programs and then the Nascar race.    Hubby is busy with his TV shows now with 2 Netflix movies to watch so just me in my scrap room.

So I jumped right in this morning with my coffee and was going to go right to work on still catching up with more layouts from past vacations.   So pulled up the pictures  from Australia trip in 2005.
I thought of the sketch I wanted to use and decided it would great to use it with the new pad of paper
I bought on sale yesterday at Michaels.  I could do something different and rotate the sketch and just one picture and then 2 PL style cards.    Easy peasy got everything made and looked over again at sketch so I could do a blog post and Oh Yeah, I forgot this is the latest "ELLE'S STUDIO" sketch
and I want to use papers from Elle's.  

So good think I love this sketch.   I go to the drawer with all my Elle's Studios collections and pulled out some to look through.    Plus also looked at some older pictures for this layout too and saw these from Christmas night 2011 and decided they were the perfect pictures to use 3 photos for the sketch and not rotate or anything.   I ended up using papers from 3 collections.   The background paper is from the "Shine collection"  (I liked the deep blues to look like a night time background)  the the 1/2
matting around 2 of the pictures is from the "Penelope collection", plus I also cut out my title letters from the same paper.    The little 'we ate' square that I journaled on is from the "Let's Eat collection".

Check out the sketch below and see what you can do with it.    And check out all the details at
"ELLE'S STUDIO"   I'm so glad I got two different layouts made with the sketch.    Ended up very positive for me filling in old pages in different albums.