Zack

I don't think I have ever made a layout with a picture of my nephew all on his own.  He is been in group pictures and such but never one of just him.   I kept this layout really simple and just let the single picture and my background paper be the main points.  I added a kraft circle sticker as an embellishment and some brown Thicker alphas for the title.   Then did LOTs of faux stitching with different colors along the sides of the colored rays.

I was inspired to use this paper because of the challenge at  "THE STUDIO CHALLENGES"
The challenge going on right now it is.........

 Kraft; we want to see you use Kraft (as in the brown paper) on your layouts. It could be as a background or on the layout, however you want to use it.

Sweet Dream

I just love this picture of me holding Elle while she sleeps so I decided to make a layout with it for my album.  Elle at one year old  already has 2 full 3D ring albums full of layouts I've made for her.
I'm pretty obsessed with making layout of all the pictures.

I used Sketch #314 at  "SKETCHES IN THYME"  to make this layout.  I used one big piece of background paper and then went through my scrap paper container and put everything else together.
It was so fun combining all different kinds of scrap papers and scrap pieces of card stock to put this layout together.

Here is the sketch and the link to   "SKETCHES IN THYME"

Final February PL card summary

I just made this PL card today using the sketch #96 at "SKETCHES IN THYME PL STYLE"  for the basis of it.  I did have to rotate it for the pocket it all go in, but all worked out great that way too.

I always do a recap type card for the last pocket of each month.   A little about the month and then a  summary of how many scrapping projects I made.   I will have to go back when the month is over and put the numbers in but other than that I have my summary made for the month.

Here is the link to  "SKETCHES IN THYME PROJECT LIFE STYLE"   and the sketch.

Road Trip to Gettysburg

One of my 2018 goals was to go through all vacation albums and fill them in with more layouts.
So when I was asked to be the March guest designer at "LASTING MEMORIES" and saw the challenge for February 25th I knew it would be a good place to start with this goal.

The challenge is.....Feb. 25th - Did You Know? March was named for the Roman God "Mars" Mars was the god of war and also an agricultural guardian, so this gives you 2 options. Create a layout about war (think of a war hero, museum/area about war (Gettysburg)...) or an agricultural/farm layout (which this could cover just about anything with farming, food, animals, seasons...)

I got lucky while looking through my BIG stack of travel papers that I had one more Civil War piece of paper that I bought at a local Gettysburg scrapbooking store while I was there.   Since it was a day long road trip from DC for us I just added some road trip paper to it and I had it all combined.

Be sure and check out this challenge and all the challenges for March at "LASTING MEMORIES"

Sunsets

Let me say this, there are not a lot of purples in patterned papers, at least not in what I have in my collections.  Finally this afternoon I found this a stack of outdoor adventure papers.   So finally I could make a layout for the Purple colors palette at   "LASTING MEMORIES"    I'm happy to say that I got to enter a layout for all of the color schemes this month.   They were all so much fun.
A variety of the sunset picture from our lake house was perfect for the purple colors.

Here is the link and the color palette for  "LASTING MEMORIES"

It's Stormy

This has been our week here at the Lake of the Ozarks, started mid morning Tuesday and the forecast is rain just about every day through this coming weekend.    I guess I should be glad its not snow, although we have had some sleet a couple of nights.

I used one of the two sketches at  "STUCK SKETCHES ?!"  from February 15th to make this layout.   I tried to stay with 'stormy/rainy' looking papers.   I think these paper choices work.

I am also entering this at the challenge that came out today at  "SOUTHERN GIRLS CHALLENGE"    The challenge is Nature.   And this picture shows the nature of thunderstorms coming in the clouds.

Here is the link and sketch for  "STUCK SKETCHES ?!"

Here is the link for information about the challenge at  "SOUTHERN GIRLS CHALLENGE"

Hello and welcome to this fortnights challenge.

Our theme this fortnight is

NATURE

So fill those projects up with flora and fauna

Celebrate

I use the Feb 1st sketch at  "STUCK SKETCHES ?!" for another layout for my stepdaughter of her grandmothers birthday celebration last year and this layout I will keep in our albums here at home and I used tone of the two sketches this month on February 15th at  "STUCK SKETCHES ?!"

Here is the sketch.

Happy Birthday Mom

My Mother-in-laws 95th birthday was last August.   She celebrated at her home with family.
We couldn't make the trip from Missouri to New York because it was the week we were moving from Kansas City to the Lake.   But our kids made it there and her daughter and her granddaughter and great grandson that live there in NY were all together to celebrate.
I'm planning on giving this layout to my stepdaughter because she was the one that posted all the pictures for us.

I used the sketch from February 1st at  "STUCK SKETCHES ?!"   I just added to more doilies to my layout.

Here is the sketch and link to  "STUCK SKETCHES ?!"

Hold Me

My granddaughter was sick again a couple of days last week and I went over to babysit with her so Mom and Dad could go to work and not take a sick day.    I was sorry she didn't feel good but she was just a sweetheart and just let me hold her all day long.   She had just turned one a couple of weeks before and I was afraid long days of snuggling was over but I got my day.

I'm entering this layout in 2 challenge,w  a sketch challenge and a color challenge.

First I have the sketch challenge from Feb. 1st at  "LET'S GET SKETCHY"   This was a fun sketch and I used flowers, not till I was putting it together did I realize how long it has been since I added flowers to a layout.   Need to keep those flowers closer to me now.

Next there is the Colors  challenge with a twist at   "SCRAP CHALLENGE YOURSELF"   They had a color palette to use of shades of pinks, plus in this challenge you always have to have a picture of yourself on your layout.   Since it was just the two of us there, I took a couple of selfies of us cuddling.   The added twist this month was to used hearts or have a love theme.  I have both.

Green Belt

I have had this picture of my granddaughter since last fall and finally found the right challenges to scrap it with.     I am combing two challenges.    The  sketch challenge #147 at  "SKETCH N
SCRAP" and the color combo challenge #383 at  "LASTING MEMORIES" .

Here are the links and sketch and colors

"SKETCH N SCRAP"

"LASTING MEMORIES"

I Will Always Love You

Seeing picture of my granddaughter with my Dad, her great grandfather, always makes me smile.
These were no exception to that.  I always new my daughter from a newborn to today had a very special bond with her Papa, but now seeing her daughter with Papa the bond had grown so much.
We joke that I was always Dad's #1 girl, then it became Leslie and now it's Elle, so I have moved to #3.   All worth it to see these smiles.

I am entering this layout at the "SCRAPPY FRIENDS CHALLENGES"  for February.

I used the sketch at  "ROCHELLE SPEARS BLOG"  and I combined that sketch with
"GRAND DIVA'S BLOG" and the this month in history.   I used prompt #4

#4 ~ February 28 1968 ~ The first Grammy Awards was held.

Create a layout and for your title you must use the 
title of any song 
from any year awarded the 
Grammy for Song of the Year

For my title I have  "I Will Always Love You"   by Whitney Houston, the Grammy winning song of the year in 1994, and it was perfect for this picture.   That song came to mind immediately.

Here ar the links for both

"THROUGH THE EYES OF ROCHELLE SPEARS SCRAPBOOKING"

"GRAND DIVA'S CREATIVE CORNER"

THE CHALLENGE:

 Select one of the history facts below, create a layout and include the challenge requirement
listed below the fact that you select.

#1 ~ February 8, 1895 - President Grover Cleveland authorized the selling of $62 million worth of bonds to J.P. Morgan in exchange for gold purchased from foreign investors, saving the Treasury from disaster. 

Create a layout and you must add 

GOLD paper and/or embellishments.

#2 ~ February 12, 1809 ~ The 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln was born.

Create a layout about a 

newborn baby 

and you must include a

heart embellishment and/or heart patterned paper.

#3 ~ February 22, 1879 ~ F.W. Woolworth opens "The Great Five Cent Store" in Utica, NY. 

 It failed in six months, but the second store he opened in June of the 

same year seemed to catch on.

Create a layout and you must use 

5 or more different types of embellishments

and/or

5 or more different patterned papers.

#4 ~ February 28 1968 ~ The first Grammy Awards was held.

Create a layout and for your title you must use the 
title of any song 
from any year awarded the 
Grammy for Song of the Year

Valentine Girls

I think I have now finished all of my Valentine layouts for this year.   These are my granddaughters in Orlando, we only see them about once a year so I always love getting Facebook pictures.
Here they are all dressed for Valentines Day at school.

I used Sketch #313 at  "SKETCHES IN THYME"  to make this layout.  I loved getting to use so many different papers with it.   Plus it was fun to use the heart stickers for my banner that is in the sketch.

Here is the sketch and link to  "SKETCHES IN THYME"

Changes at Home

I've been wanting to get this layout made about the big changes we did outside of our house after we moved to the lake last fall.    My hubby could not imagine his cars (his babies) not being in a garage and getting all dirty on a gravel driveway.   So the additions began,  within 3 months the hill was excavated and the garage was built.   The immediately concrete was poured on the lower part of the driveway, all the level area between the house and the garage to the side property line.   Then this week we had the driveway poured from the street at the top down to the flat driveway.    So hubby is happy, no  more trips on gravel in his cars.

Challenge #342 at   "SHOPPING OUR  STASH"  worked perfect for me to make this layout because the challenge is Home Sweet Home,  they want to see a home or house image of some sort on your project.   So I matted this stamped image that I had been hoarding and it is perfect for my layout and the challenge.

Here is the link to the challenge at  "SHOPPING OUR STASH"
You have until 11:55 EST on Monday February 26th to enter.

Valentines Dinner

We had an awesome and HUGE Valentines dinner last night and plenty of leftovers for a great lunch today.   But before I eat those leftovers I made this layout about our dinner.   The bonus is I get to enter it in four different challenges.

"SCRAP CHALLENGE YOURSELF"  you have to include a picture of yourself on your layout and use this color palette on your layout.   Plus since its February the added twist to the challenge is to use hearts or a love theme on your page.

"STINKIN' INKERS CHALLENGE BLOG"   

The theme for this month's challenge is:

"Love Is In The Air"

Create a project for Love, wedding, anniversary, Valentines Day, etc.

"SCRAPPING4FUN CHALLENGES"

Challenge 108 

Love, Valentine, Wedding, Friendship

1. You can create a - Layout, Card, Canvas, Mini Album, Mixed Media, "Off the Page" Creations
2. Only new creations from 2nd of February onwards
3. Enter a direct link to your creations into the link tool, not only to the main page of your blog. This makes it easy for the Design Team to find your creations to leave comments
4. You may enter a maximum of 4 entries for each Challenge

"THE RUBBER BUGGY CHALLENGE"    I used the soft color palette.

You have great options for this one... choose either Rustic of soft colours... 

your choice.... so have fun.

100 days

This is my granddaughter in Orlando on her 100th day of school this year.   She dressed as a 100 year old woman.   She said she was trying to look like her 95 year old great grandmother.  The bat with the cut tennis ball base was her idea of a walker like her grandmother, plus the long necklace and glasses on the chain and cardigan sweater and she had the look down pretty great.

I will be entering this layout in two challenges.  First I used the Feb. 8th sketch, sketch #312 at
"SKETCHES IN THYME"   Then I went to "THE PAPER GIRLS CHALLENGE" Challenge #145 was to celebrate their 6th Anniversary and use 6 items of the same thing.   I used 6 doilies, 6 different colors on the doilies  and 6 gems on this layout.

Here is the sketch and links to both challenges.

"SKETCHES IN THYME"

"THE PAPER GRILS CHALLENGE"

You and Me

Nothing says love like a Grandpa taking a trip to visit his Grandson and his dog.  My brother hadn't seen his grandson for just over a year so he made a trip to Sydney, Australia for a long overdue visit.
He will be there 3 weeks and this was taken the first day he got there.   I think they are all happy to be together.

I am entering this layout at  "USE YOUR STUFF" Challenge #299  - Love is all Around.
I combined papers from two older collections from Simple Stories.   I used the Daily Grind collection and the Say Cheese II collection.

Here is the link to the challenge at   "USE YOUR STUFF"

Challenge #299 - Love is all around

So what love is around you? Show us with your cards, layouts, OTP or whatever your crafty poison is.

Now & Then

During a bored Saturday that we were snowed in I decided we should rearrange the furniture in our living room.   The house we bought here at the lake came with a lot of the furniture including everything in the living room.   So since last fall we had been living just how it was when we moved in.   When we moved the couch around underneath it was the picture at the bottom right of my layout.

The couple we bought our full time lake home from had moved into this house for summers when it was just a small two bedroom home.  Over the course of two years they totally redid the house and added the 2nd story and extended the house to add 3 bedrooms, new living room, three bathrooms and laundry room and added some decks.   We live here full time and absolutely love the house.  I have one of the bedrooms on the old part of the house that looks out to the lake as my scrap room, I couldn't be happier.  

I wanted to make this layout showing the old home and the way it looks now.   When I saw the first color challenge of the month at  "LASTING MEMORIES"  is to use Blues so that is what I did for this layout.

Here is the link to  "LASTING MEMORIES"   and the details for the challenge......

LM #380 - Color Me Happy Color Challenge - Blues

Today we are starting a new theme and a new set of challenges! This month our theme is "Color Me Happy" and all of our challenges will be color challenges. Here is our first challenge:

LM #380 - Color Me Happy - Blues - use the colors below as the primary colors on your layout. Blacks, whites, neutrals are all a given.

!st Cake

I printed out the February 1st sketch at  "LET'S SCRAP"  (as soon as it came out on the first but really wasn't sure on what to do with it.    I had been working on making first birthday layouts from my Granddaughters birthday the weekend before.   So I was looking through all the pictures I had on my computer from it and here were so many pictures of her tasting and trying her first cake and first time to try sugar.   So I knew this sketch would work great to use several of the pictures.   My pink tags across the top can be pulled out so they have 6 other small pictures from Elle's first cake tasting experience.    I can't wait to take this one to my daughter for Elle's album (well actually this first birthday is actually starting her 3rd album.  Grandma might have gone a bit overboard on albums that first year.   :)  :)  :)

Here is the sketch and the like to challenge at "LET'S SCRAP"  you have till the 14th to enter and then there will be another sketch on the 15th to try your hand at in February.

I also will be entering my layout in the  "LASTING MEMORIES" Challenge #348 - Color Me Happy Reds and Pinks.   I have several shades of pink in this layout and a little touch or red too.
Here is the link to  "LASTING MEMORIES"  and all the details of the challenge.

LM #381 - Color Me Happy - Reds and Pinks

We are back today with a new challenge for you. Our theme for February is "Color Me Happy" and all of our challenges will be color challenges. This week we are working with reds and pinks.

LM #381 - Color Me Happy - Reds/Pinks - use the colors below as the primary colors on your layout. Blacks, whites, neutrals are all a given.

I also want to enter this layout at  "THE PAPER GIRLS CHALLENGE"  for their challenge #145 for their 6th anniversary.   The challenge is to use 6 of the same thing on your project.   On this layout I have 6 large photos, 6 mini pictures on the 6 tags, in the 6 pockets and 6 pieces of bakers twine tied into bows at the top of the tags.

Since it is our Sixth Anniversary we thought the theme for this Challenge would be the number six. What we want you to do is to use six items of the same thing: ie six flowers, six buttons, six stamps, six gems... The list could go on and on.

I am also entering my layout at  "PAPER ISSUES (FRIENDS AND FANS)" on Facebook.   They have a challenge going on this month called Bigger is Better to use BIG titles on your layout.

February's first PL page

I used this picture I took of Reggie after I got up on the morning of Groundhog Day and decided to use it as my take on the day.    Since it looks like 6  more weeks of winter  Reggie crawled right up to the pillow again after I made the bed, so he was my Punxsutawney Phil.

I made this card using sketch #95 for the newest challenge at  "SKETCHES IN THYME PROJECT LIFE STYLE"    It was perfect for my picture and some journaling about the day.

Here is the link to the challenge at  "SKETCHES IN THYME PROJECT LIFE STYLE"  and the
sketch I worked with.    After that is my full PL page using the card.

Birthday Gift Time

I've been busy the last couple of days working on layouts for my granddaughters first birthday party last weekend.    Today I made this layout of her opening her gifts  (a.k.a. playing with the wrapping paper).     We did the gifts after she had her time with the birthday cake, so she was already changed out of her party dress.   She was a little under the weather for the weekend so this was actually her third outfit of the day.  LOL    I used sketch #146 at  "SKETCH N SCRAP"  to make the layout.
I did have to rotate it to work with the pictures that I had.   I think it worked out good in this format.

Here is the sketch and link to  "SKETCH N SCRAP"