Scratch Pad

Kaplow!

2012-01-25T05:49:00.000-05:00

As there is not any clever way that I can devise arriving back on the blogging scene gracefully, I thought "kaplow!" was the best expletive to express how obtrusive I feel. Or perhaps, "kerplunk" fits my imposition better. And, not even an attractive picture to try to capture your attention.

And still, I didn't want to wait another month and a half, to return. Along with holidays, entertaining and work, I have been experimenting with how to recover my walls, in my craftroom, from their appearance of a stagnant algae ridden respite. It has been mentally, financially and temporally exhausting. The Sherwin Williams folks have gotten to know me by name; and, they are strongly suggesting that I downgrade my purchases to the Colors To Go.

The embarrassing attempts:

Can't find any photographs of all my grey on grey combinations. They were lovely. But, I could not adjust to the cool colors.

Now that I have settled on the mix of colors, I just need to get all the walls painted. It's hard to get many good chunks of time and ambition going at the same time. But, I'm aiming for completion by the middle of February. I am planning on doing some crafting then, regardless.

And, did you notice the striped entryway....

Hope all is well with you. And, I hope to share more soon.

Blessings,

Been Too Long

2011-12-02T09:36:00.001-05:00

I know.
Slowly hoping to make a better reappearance.

(Scrapbooking Meets Design)

Been obsessively taking in information on wall treatments, which has lead to obsessing on interior decorating and design. I think that I have added, at least, 100 sites to my Google Reader. I, hereby, proclaim, (sounds official, doesn't it), that I am moving from the gathering information/research stage into the making it happen stage. This newly proclaimed DIYer, (do it yourselfer), will be sharing the failures and accomplishments, along the way. Also, I'll be including links to great blogs that are inspiring me. Here's the first: Dwellers Without Decorators (I just love her blog title). Because although decorators may have elevated talents, I cannot make peace with their elevated fees. But, free inspiration,....I can definitely afford that. Thanks Suze!

Once my Craftroom is back in order, I will reestablish my paperbased project posts. However, I will continue including decorating and design information, as well.

This is exciting! I hope that you'll stick around. I think you might just gain some ideas from my ~~mistakes~~ efforts. A few buzzwords you might see coming here will include chalkpaint, table decor and decoupage.

Next post: an update on the craftroom walls.

Pic Deets - mixing up the old with the new: large picture from my Nana Hall, all other wall accents from my Great Grandparents Hendersen, candlesticks are Ballard Design, sofa table from Macy's 10+ years ago, two small coffee tables tucked underneath from my birthparents purchased in the 1960's were made by Heritage, both floral accents are from Waterloo Gardens, darker chairs are Pennsylvania House - reupholstered by Calico Corners, (I love Calico Corners -- love them), the lighter chair is Calico Corners, standing lamp - I forget, the pillows are from Kohls, and the wall color is Sienna Sand, I think.

Will you stick around?

Waylaid

2011-10-28T09:26:00.000-04:00

According to Dictionary.com:
way·layv. -laid, -lay·ing.
1. to intercept or attack from ambush, as in order to rob, seize, or slay.
2. to await and accost unexpectedly: The actor was waylaid by a swarm of admirers.

I thought this word was fitting for a title today. All paper creating pursuits are being postponed as I repaint my crafting room. After weeks of staring at browns and greens that I was convincing myself I would grow to love as the experts, (hired Faux Finisher and Interior Designer), told me, I am taking matters into my own hands.

Therefore, I have been spending countless hours studying how to make pink work in decorating, how to incorporate it with orange and how to try to accomplish a soft and feminine look with a touch of bright and cheery. But first, I need to continue covering these walls:

and get back to this:

...and, I'm loving this color combo for some of the walls:

I found the image on Classic... with a twist.
This is the beginning of my endeavor, Step One: Cover-Up. I'm forging ahead,...wish me luck and patience.

Until later... Blessings, Janine

Purple & Green, fabulous for Halloween

2011-10-20T09:15:00.001-04:00

Since I love these colors to brighten up Halloween, I was thrilled to discover two challenges using them.

"Just Us Girls" has a variety of challenges each month, check it! This month's color assignment: Orange - Green - Purple and Black -- Wahoo!

Color Throwdown provides weekly color challenges. Hope you check them out, also! This weeks:

Next up, altered pumpkin decor...
Until then, be blessed!!

It Takes a Village

2011-10-19T05:26:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I was sidetracked when needing to handle situations involving my children. This is typical in my life. I have a card to post--maybe later today.

Kurt is #90. We have been telling Kurt to never give up playing. He gets disappointed being an offensive lineman for it lacks glory. He would block, and then stand and wait for the rest of the play. But, sometimes, he plays the line on defense, also. Playing through is equally important. After weeks of telling him to never quit, we are thrilled that he is actively playing the whole play.

Jason reminded me of something yesterday when he became physical with a neighbor/friend because he wanted to insist on being right. Sometimes, it's more important to be a friend, than to be right. For someone with strong convictions, that can be a big pill to swallow. I do not ever want us to be distracted about being right rather than caring about people . We'll keep on working on it. And, if my children do wrong, please let us know,...were working on that too.

Have a blessed day!

Mix It Up Monday

2011-10-17T18:04:00.002-04:00

Subtitle: Confessions of a Neglectful Blogger

I've missed being in touch. I've missed creating with paper. The time away passed so quickly while all the projects at home moved so slowly. And, they are not finished. But, I didn't have any fun pictures to post and I didn't want to give you excuses. Furthermore, as I return, I'm hesitant to say that I'm back. Like I said there is more to be done here.

But, I am feeling some momentum....

As I perused some of my favorite challenge blogs, I viewed three challenges consecutively that just came together at once. It started with the CR84FN Color Challenge.

The current combination makes me think of Jillibean Kraft papers that are made with brown and partnered with red papers. I hadn't done any pages since I started projects again in my scraproom so I was eager to get one in. That is when I viewed Creative Scrappers and a fun sketch design.

As I looked at the pictures from our carnival day with the boys in red shirts, I went back to surfing the internet. That is when I saw the adorable balloons on Sketch Support.

Thus, a quick, easy and fun page was born. Best yet, I'm able to build my rapport with any of you who chose to pay me a visit ands say a thing or two,...yay!!

Thanks for the visit. Have a blessed day!!

Colors of Christmas

2011-10-16T11:14:00.001-04:00

Who couldn't use a little head start on Christmas cards? Here is my first for this year using last years Little Yellow Bicycle paper and embellishments. The wreath is a cardstock sticker. The houndstooth paper is a "love", for me. And, The Paper Players gave me the perfect excuse to get a Christmas card up today, with their Christmas color challenge.

I hope that you are having a blessed day!!

Short & Sweet

2011-10-15T16:28:00.001-04:00

Hi! Here is a take on a super sketch found on The Sweet Stop.

I grabbed a recycled paperclip to comply with the sketches' spin.

The base paper is My Mind's Eye, with flowers punched from Kaiser, (I think).

The heart doilies were picked up in a dollar section somewhere, and were misted for color.

Almost There

2011-09-30T13:05:00.004-04:00

I'll be back real soon!
Melissa, please send me your address so that I may send you the super package that you won.

Girly & Gutsy & Moxie!!

2011-08-26T15:18:00.002-04:00

Cath said, "Please include a statement as to how and why you were inspired as sometimes it isn't easy to tell. :) " But, I'm thinking this doesn't need a whole lot of explaining....LOL...it's pretty literal of an interpretation:

But, just in case you don't see it, {Big Smile}, I used the colors and design, almost in the same places!! Here's a link to the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger that I had to fit in with all it's shabby chic appeal!!

Shellshock

2011-08-18T14:39:00.005-04:00

It truly cannot be a month since my last post, can it? While things are moving along at a turtle's pace here, the calendar seems to be moving much more rapidly.

I am sorry, friends, for the delay. Life, and a scraproom makeover, have temporarily gotten in the way of papercrafting. However, here is a layout from one of our Summer adventures that I squeezed in between paper purges.

The boys earned, from their chores, a trip to a local creek. We were fortunate to find this adorable Eastern Box Turtle. The fancy Prima Erie paper reminded me of the turtle while I was organizing it, so I pulled the photos, immediately, for a quick and easy page. All patterned papers are from this collection.

I printed and adhered a copy of a devotion to the back of this page, along with some personal sentiments. The devotion is linked here.

Hope that you are having great day! Blessings!

Brothers and Friends

2011-07-18T18:09:00.000-04:00

Echo Park paper line with a kit from The Scraproom and a few pieces from My Mind's Eye.

I'm afraid I'm trying to pack up my scrap things, for a brief time. I just ordered a new floor and plan on, finally, making a decision on some cabinets. But, the best thing is that I picked my palette for my scraproom. With four boys and me, (dog included :) ) , I don't get much feminine space. Therefore, my scraproom is going to be all kinds of feminine. Do you wanna see?....

Unfortunately, (or fortunately), I seem to get all kinds of scrapping ambition when I plan not to do any. Not sure if I'll be posting again sooner, or later. Best of everything! Blessings! Thanks for the visit.

Friends

2011-07-10T07:00:00.002-04:00

A few years back, or so, I only scrapbooked, (as far as paper crafting goes). Furthermore, I only scrapbooked with Creative Memories products, (in chronological order :-) ). Way back then, I participated in dozens of handcrafted border swaps. My dear friend, Shirley, created a cute border set for a swap about friends. I altered the pieces to create this card for Paper Players Challenge #55...easy peasy...just added some Prima packaging, blue cardstock, a gray bow and a few gems. Do you have pieces like this that you hoard too? Why not use one today?

Happy Sunday!

Savvy Vacationers!

2011-07-09T20:08:00.000-04:00

(The title makes me smile) We really wanted to stay ahead of the crowds for our Disney trip during the busy Easter season; and we were very happy with our success! Once Upon A ....Sketch has a challenge with their sketch to include "Who is in the photo? Name the person in the photo and at least 1 fact about them. This can be personality, character, talent , achievement etc." And the sketch rocks! Hope to see your layout too!

Seriously,...I need more mojo...
Hope yours is better than mine. Be blessed!!

We HEART Nova Scotia, (and the FOLKS there!)

2011-07-05T13:47:00.002-04:00

After a few days here, it's hard to get back reality.

Top Ten for Our 2011 Disney Experiences, Part 1

2011-06-29T15:09:00.000-04:00

I have the basic plan all set, and a few first pages complete. I'm lovin' the process of creating these Top Ten Memory Experiences of our Disney 2011 trip. Since this is my first mini and I am very aware of each step that I am taking, I thought that I might share some tips. I apologize, in advance, for this lengthy post.

Shall I share a little background about our trip? We knew that we were planning our Disney vacation at one of the busiest seasons, Easter. The weather is perfect and many people take their maiden trips at this time, as well as a few seasoned Disney travelers. EPCOT is my favorite park, for many reasons. I wanted to be on property at the EPCOT resorts, and we saved up for this very special experience! But, we were very conscious of just how busy it would be. Therefore, we planned strategies, well in advance, to stay ahead of the crowds. Generally, we were successful in this endeavor; and, I would not hesitate to plan a trip to Disney again during this busy season. If you want to read our Trip Report, you may find it at Our Wonderful World of Disney Spring 2011 Vacation. I hope to complete the rest of the report soon. However, I got very frustrated when I lost a very timing consuming update into cyperspace, *POOF* and it was gone. Now, I just have to recharge my motivation and redo that section, as well as complete the report before I forget all the details.

The album that I am using, here, has four uniquely shaped chipboard pages and three uniquely shaped acrylic pages. The acrylic pages had a protective film on each of it's sides that I needed to shed. But, I will enjoy working with those pages with the clear acrylic as a base. The chipboard, I am covering with patterned paper from the grouping that I put together from my post of June 20, 2011. I covered them with the same techniques that I use for any naked chipboard covering. First, I sand any rough edges.

Then, I trace the shape onto patterned paper using the backsides, as to not mistakenly leave any ink showing.

I cut the outlined shape; and, I use a standard hole punch for the holes:

I used my large Xyron sticker maker to put an even and smooth coat of adhesive onto the bottom side of the patterned paper. However, I would use a liquid Mod Podge or Decoupage sealer if the papers were much more stiff. I, then, put together the pages with the grand color scheme and acrylic peek through spots, in mind. My first few pages are included below.

Recap of today's favorites:
1. Being Together As A Family!
2. Location, Location, Location
3. Easy Access To Fabulous Dining!

I hope that you have a wonderful and blessed holiday and weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Starting My Mini

2011-06-26T13:06:00.000-04:00

I'm using the supply grouping that I photographed in the last post. The 7gypsies and Girl's Paperie papers are very easy to cut, attach and mold to the chipboard. Therefore, I was able to plan the pages and almost complete the cover, yesterday, before I headed to the pool.

Although next week will provide very little time for me to work on this project, I'm getting eager to move forward. And, it's been cool to be utilizing one of my Creative Memories Power Sort boxes, in the planning. I do not use them much anymore.

It's been a crazy, busy week. The boys seem to need more attention and commitment than ever. For one, we complete workbooks through the Summer and they seem to need more hands on guidance. Secondly, I'm trying real hard to keep them off the television and computer games. We are busy with swimming, golf lessons, parks and ponds. Here are a couple photo's from our adventures this past week:

My vacation starts in September,....actually August 29th, to be exact. Can you guess what happens on that day? ;)

Hope you're having a blessed day!!

Color Challenges

2011-06-20T16:05:00.001-04:00

What do you think of them? Usually, they intimidate me. They intimidate me because I have too much variety of items in any given color to narrow it down. Being that I am mostly a paper driven creator, it means, for me, that I start by pulling papers. At this point, I already have too much diversity from which to choose. Once I start pulling the different color coordinated embellishments, I am completely overwhelmed. But, I did something different this time.

This time, I started by pulling a few paper lines that might work together before I even considered what I might work on next. Since I am mostly accustom to working with kits, I'm hoping that this strategy will increase my productivity.

So, here's my grouping:

My next plan is a mini-album to use mostly the 7gypsies line. With all the Top Ten stickers, I plan to create a Disney Trip Top Ten. I'm excited to be creating my first mini with a Tinkering Ink chipboard and acrylic 6x12 album that I purchased a long time ago.

Anyway, if you are still reading, it is, probably, because you have some minor interest in my project above. When I noticed CR84FN's Color Challenge, I thought of some of the colors in my grouping. But, I wanted to incorporate something with the quote that it provided for inspiration, as well. You can see the quote in the image at the bottom of this post. I cannot even tell you how I would remember that I had a chipboard that said "happy". I cannot even seem to remember, usually, what I ate for my last meal. :) But, I thought of the chipboard and wanted it to inspire me in my newly done scrapbooking room, (If I, actually, ever commit to finishing it!!) I know that this project will continue to make me happy when I look at it.

I started by spray painting an old silver frame:

I used white enamel spray paint. When it was dry, I painted the inner border by hand with Americana Taffy Cream Acrylic Paint.

Tip 1: While the acrylic paint was still wet, I smashed in some Lemon colored Flower Soft for texture.

Tip 2: To create a shape of different dimensions than your templates, simply trace part of the design and move the template to adjust the size.

The rest of the details follow:
PAPER: 7gypsies Avignon Fleur De Lys, 7gypsies Avignon Ecriture, Glitz Laced With Grace Butterflies
CHIPBOARD FROM: My Mind's Eye Abbey Road Lucky Me, GCD or Chatterbox (It's a Melody Ross design), Pink Paislee Vintage Moon, Pink Paislee unknownACCESSORIES: Sew Easy Floss Aqua, Flower Soft Lemon, Americana Taffy Cream Acrylic Paint, Flourish with a Bling Pearls - Pearl and Teal.
TOOLS: Paper trimmer, ScrapGoods Plastic Template, Scissors and a paper piercer to mold floss.
TECHNIQUES: Layering, writing with Floss, painting and Flower Soft.

TAG: CR84FN32

Thanks, Mona, for the great inspiration. And, thanks to my readers for letting me share. Also, I want to thank Yara for suggesting that I use Chrome for browsing. I, finally, got so frustrated yesterday, that I installed it and was able to leave a few comments. Hopefully, this will continue to work for me.

I hope that you are having a marvelous day and week! I'm signing off, for now. I have a mini-album to tackle! Wish me luck! :)

Happy Father's Day!!

2011-06-19T06:19:00.002-04:00

PAPER: Jillibean Soup Jibber Jabber, Jillibean Soup Shell Macaroni, Creative Memories Poppy, White Cardstock, Embossed White Sheet unknown from a Scraptivity kit
ACCESSORIES: Fancy Pants Die Cut, Silk Crinkle Ribbon, My Mind's Eye Brad, White Sun-shaped Chipboard unknown and Jillibean Soup Corrugated White Spot.
TOOLS: Paper trimmer, Sizzix Steel Cloud Die #1 (I know, crazy that I still have these!), and Bow Easy.
TECHNIQUES: Layering, Using Die Cuts and Bows.

The Deconstructed Sketch No. 6

2011-06-18T12:09:00.002-04:00

PAPER: Jillibean Soup Split Pea Pinch of Sugar, Bo Bunny's Back to Backs Harvest Dot, Bazzill Dotted Swiss Night Water or Deep Blue, Creative Memories Poppy Cardstock.

INK: Close To My Heart Cranberry, ColorBox Royal Blue
STAMPS: Papertrey Ink Birthday Bash Sentiments
ACCESSORIES: Sassafras Lass Cherry Sweet Treats Star Sticker, My Mind's Eye Brad and needlework yarn.
TOOLS: Paper trimmer and scissors.
TECHNIQUES: Stamping, inking, and hand cutting.
TAG: The Deconstructed Sketch No. 6

Glitz Fever

2011-06-18T10:35:00.000-04:00

I am, almost, completely finished with the Glitz items that I purchased recently. I pulled several pictures that coordinate well with the colors of their Laced With Grace collection, and decided upon a couple more photographs from my 2010 Dominican Republic trip. I just love the delightful earthy tones with the stone architecture and natural landscapes. Credit goes to Iwona Palamountain for the use of her sketch from the Glitz blog's Challenge #3.

I, also, snuck in another card using a sweet Glitz Whatnot:

Hope that you're having a great weekend! We finished up the school year this past week; and, we are beginning our Summer celebration.
Blessings, Janine

Oh! Happy Day!

2011-06-05T13:59:00.004-04:00

Using more from the Glitz Laced With Grace collection, I try to bring your attention to today's card. I love to look at my papers and use their patterns to encourage, in my mind, a cutting pattern. The plaid gave notice to a zig zag edge. Immediately, I recalled seeing an edge used like this before with some lace. I was delighted to notice several items already on my working table to compliment the idea. They are all identified below.

I, also, want to apologize that I have not been commenting as much on my friends entries, lately. I am having trouble with a known issue with blogger.

This is what they say, "We're investigating an issue which is preventing login and comment posting for some users, and hope to have a fix released shortly.

Thanks for your patience in the meantime"

This has, already been affecting me for at least two and a half weeks. I have to log in each time I go to a frame and when I try to leave a comment on someone else's blog, it almost always becomes "anonymous" when I go to send it. Strangely enough, a few times it has worked for me. Hopefully, it becomes fixed soon so that I may rejoin my Willow Traders Blog Hops and get back to surfing blogs.

As for my card, here are my listings:
PAPER: Glitz Laced With Grace, Creative Memories Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Glitz Laced With Grace Whatnot, My Mind's Eye Label Sticker and Decorative Trim, a few rhinestones and ribbon.
INK: Copic YR18
TOOLS: Paper trimmer and scissors.
TECHNIQUES: inking with copics, and hand cutting.

Thanks for coming by. Have a blessed rest of the day!!!

They Almost Didn't Believe It

2011-06-04T16:44:00.004-04:00

My children, that is. :) I, really, was young once. Really! :)

Jason didn't even recognize me at first. Really. Hurmph. Other than a few scars, a few wrinkles, some looser skin, and a touch of hair color, I thought that I looked the same. :) I guess that I look more different than I thought. Oh well. At least I have some proof. But, I'm not sure which grade it is. If you happen to be one of my New Albany School Facebook friends; and, you saved your yearbooks, I would be greatly obligied if you would look it up for me. :)

If any of my scrapping friends want the details in the layout, please continue reading. :) The dark base is Paper Trunk Batik Exquisite, and the next layer is a generic kraft paper. However, all the other paper and ephemera are from the Glitz Laced With Grace collection.

The little fancy border was stamped, (Memento, Rich Cocoa), onto the back of the plaid paper and cut with a die. The stamp and die are from Our Daily Bread Designs June 2011 release. (I cannot wait to use the crocheted background on a card!) For the writing around the border of the inner canvas, I have used my tried and true Creative Memories dark brown fine tip pen. For all of the rest of the inking, I have used Copic pens W7 & YR18. I LOVE using them this way because it is easy to get the ink into crevices: and, the ink dries instantly. Therefore, I don't end up with inky fingers.

My working desk was spotless not so long ago. I just cannot seem to get myself serious enough about redoing my scraproom. I'll save some of those boring deets for another post. Here's a picture mid-stream of completing my page and my immediately surrounding work area:

I hope that your having a marvelous day! Thank you, so much, for stopping by! Be blessed.

Sweet Cutie Pie

2011-06-02T06:47:00.001-04:00

It all began with a Pink Paislee Doodad, this card that is. I pulled a number of my favorite scraps and I'm not even sure which manufacturer made this wonderful mint green and pink print. It has print on only one side. My first guess is Basic Grey, second is Webster's Pages. The felt flowers are Making Memories. The lace is from a shirt in which I cut some of the beautiful trim and buttons. It was a fancy shirt that I had since high school! :)
PAPER: Bazzill & Close To My Heart Cardstock, Sassafras Lass Mix and Mend - Fancy Free, print patterned scrap
OTHER: Pink Paislee Doodad, twine, a felt flowers, Kaiser Pearls, Rhinestones-unsure, lace scrap, dimensional foam adhesive
TECHNIQUES: layering and using twine in a unique way

Have a lovely day!

...And They Lived Happily Ever After!!

2011-05-30T11:32:00.000-04:00

All the new ephemera products that are available have me excited to look for fun and innovative ways to use them. Even though I had a layout already begun that I thought might work well with the circle piece from the Glitz Laced With Grace Collection used above, I took a break from my work desk and started poking around on the internet when I noticed Mojo Monday's new sketch challenge. How fun!

I decided to use the "Whatnot" for this card instead.

PAPER: Bazzill Cardstock
OTHER: Glitz Laced With Grace Whatnots, My Mind's Eye Brad, a few flowers and Basic Grey ribbon.
TOOLS: Spellbinders Grand Calliber and Grand Scalloped Circles Nestabilities, Creative Memories Circle Cutting System, scissors.
TECHNIQUES: inking with copics, die cutting on a fold, hand cutting.

Have a lovely day!

Altos de Chavon, Dominican Republic Laced With Grace

2011-05-29T16:51:00.000-04:00

Using three different clustered items which were put together to create this page, (flowers, photographs and journaling), I have a terrific memory to reflect upon with some of my choice scrapbooking pieces.

Laced With Grace just might be my favorite Spring 2011 release. As much as I am trying to use my wonderful remaining collection of scrapbbooking supplies that I cannot bear to prune, I could not resist to pick up a few pieces of this line, (amongest a few other favorites). Since the Glitz blog is running a challenge to cluster on a project, I thought I would create a page with my new items!

The flowers are obviously clustered; but, I thought that it might be fun to cluster a couple other page items. I layered the pictures a little and kept them "clustered" together, and overlapped my "clustered" journal strips, as well:

I hope that you enjoy this page! Have a marvelous and blessed day!!

Today's Card

2011-05-17T15:02:00.001-04:00

...was made mostly with Jillibean products. The flowers made from Jillibean sprouts last December were rubbed with red ink and sprayed with mist.

STAMPS: Bo Bunny Olivia (leaves)
INK: CTMH Cranberry, Memento Bamboo Leaves
PAPER: Jillibean Soup: Fresh Cherries(2008) and Romano Cheese
OTHER: Jillibean Soup Journaling Sprouts and twine, My Mind's Eye brads, Copics YG93, YG95 & YG97, AC red vinyl thickers, Tattered Angels Bronze Glimmer Mist, white cardstock
TECHNIQUES: stamping, copics coloring, misting, fancy cutting, manipulating twine and flower-making.

Never Give Up Hope

2011-05-16T14:35:00.002-04:00

Things don't always turn out the way that you want them to; but, they will turn out for the best. If you can trust in the eternal purposes, you can find the joy that surpasses understanding.
Romans 8:28
Proverbs 3:5
and inside this card:

STAMPS: Papertrey Ink Everyday Blessings, Our Daily Bread Scripture Collection 3
INK: My Mind's Eye Laundry Line Natural Ink Pad (I *heart* this and use it all the time!!)
PAPER: Stella and Rose Gertie, Off-white Cardstock
OTHER: My Mind's Eye "Hope" Wild Asparagus die cut, Prima Butterflies Papillon, Crate Restoration chipboard
TECHNIQUE: Tattered Angels Honey Dew misting, stamping, layering

I started this card with My Mind's Eye Card Challenge #23. However, I strayed quite a bit and I'm not sure if it is quite 80% MME Product, so I'm not going to link it. However, since it was inspired by their sketch, I thought that I ought to cite the appropriate credit.

I have another card planned for tomorrow. I hope that you come back. Blessings to you!

Journaling

2011-05-15T18:45:00.002-04:00

I never want to journal during the creative process. Usually, the story is told much later, on 8&1/2x11 paper attached to the back of my layouts. However, this has been part of my overwhelming project to catch up. I have 4 heaping piles of layouts to journal and put into my albums.

So, when I saw a fabulous sketch from Once Upon A .....Sketch, I hesitated. Their focus is on the journaling. As I pondered how I could complete this sketch with their requirements on the journaling, I considered my word strips from My Mind's Eye's Stella & Rose Gertie collection. The beginning of this page started forming in my mind.

I'm so glad the ideas kept flowing. This page was a delight to complete. I hope that you like it too!

Have a marvelous rest of the Sunday. I am hoping to finish up a few cards to post tomorrow afternoon. Blessings!!

Friends For Like Forever

2011-05-14T12:34:00.001-04:00

I am so very grateful for my friend, Sandy. She grew up two doors down from me. I moved away my Freshman year in High School and went through some very different experiences than her; but, we managed to stay connected at various stages and times in our lives. We've shared fun, adventures, brokeness, and lots of mending and forgiving. I am so grateful to have a forever friend! We even got to share motherhood dramas together as our youngest are two months apart.

I am connecting this to My Mind's Eye blog as I used Layout Challenge #23 to complete the layout with some items from their Stella and Rose, Gertie line. The ribbon pennant/badge is from Making Memories and is called a Bravissimo.

This was a fairly basic layout, not much technique-y stuff. I did cut the "friends forever" die cut in half and added a couple words in between with a decorative brad with die cut. The words were hand drawn to mimic the style on the letters of "Friends Forever".

I used Stella and Rose trim around a picture for some more visual interest, (and to help distract your eye from the bad flash reflection on the picture....did it help at all?)

Thanks for popping by! Have a great weekend!

Celebrating 11 Years of Marriage

2011-05-11T13:50:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd commememorate the occasion with a card using Jillibean Soup's Atomic Soup. I found the beaker icon from a google image search. I embellished it with Flower Soft, (Meadow).

Stamp and Sew Technique

2011-05-05T15:20:00.004-04:00

Hello friends! The layout above uses a simple technique of stamping an image and sewing the outline of the image. I used a contrasting color. But, a tone-on-tone would also work fabulously. Here is a close-up of the stars:

The page design was made by utilizing one of Liz Chidester's sketches, (Sketch 118), found on her blog, The Scrappiest. The papers are mostly Jillibean. My journaling usually goes on the back. My Disney journey began in 1974, when my father took my brother and I to Disney World. This photograph is one of the few mementos that I have from the occasion.

I have included a link tool. If you are inspired to create anything using this layout, including the stamp and sew technique, and you leave a link, I will be sure to visit your creation and leave lovely comments. Please be sure to leave a thumbnail of your project.
I'm sorry that I've been gone so long. I have missed you as I have been on somewhat of a scrapbooking hiatus. All of the things distracting me are numorous and will probably be of little interest to most of my readers as they have more to do with mundane responsibilities, than anything fun and exciting. Other than my Disney trip that is. If you enjoy trip reports and/or you would like to know more about our vacation, I am writing a full report at Our Wonderful World of Disney Spring 2011 Vacation blogspot. It will be a long work in progress. Please feel free to check back at your liesure as I update the sight over time.

Crate Paper, Techniques, Tips and Tools

2011-03-10T11:09:00.006-05:00

Hey Folks! Thanks for the visit. I incorporated alot of different little techniques in this layout. But, I am just going to mention a couple tips. If there is anything else that you are wondering about it, please do not hesitate to ask.

First, I chose my color palette of gray, kraft and yellow to enter Crate's color challenge. The yellow paper is from their Cowboy collection and the gray and the die cuts are from the Prudence collection. The chipboard is from Restoration.

I started with the Kraft base and created masks from scrap paper to leave the three rounded rectangles as bare kraft while spraying Earl Gray and Antique Silver Maya Mist to the base. I wavy cut the paper with a Creative Memories trimmer.

The borders to the rectangles were created using the Sew Easy tool and flossers.

I used Darners #18 for a fatter needle. The stitch that I used is called the backstitch. The one tip that I would like to make is to come up with the needle to the inside of the prior stitch in order to get around the rounded corners properly:

The flourish threads that I used are left overs from a crewel kit. The crystal flourishes are from Prima, which are far superior to any others, IMO, (even if they are very expensive). The butterfly was cut and stamped with Papertrey tools and the center tied with Sew Easy floss.

I have very few quality pictures of me in my youth. However, a few years back my father had a few of his slides made into photographs that he gave me. Here I am swimming in a lake in the Poconoes. I love that my mother often gave me pigtails, (well, that's what she called them anyway). :)

Thanks again for stopping by. Have a marvelous and blessed day!

Scrapbook Challenges #244

2011-03-07T13:38:00.003-05:00

Using The Scrap Room's January 2011 Flavor of the Month kit and this weeks Scrapbook Challenges sketch.

Who's busier, bees or beavers? Whichever it is, that's my idiom for 2011, so far...

I miss our times together, and I hope to get better scheduled soon.

Hope all is well with you! Blessings!!!

Lost and Found, Scrapbook Challenges and Twisted Sketches

2011-02-21T16:36:00.007-05:00

Hi Friends! What do Lost and Found, Scrapbook Challenges and Twisted Sketches have in common? This post, of course! :)

Using My Mind's Eye Lost and Found, Union Square line, I completed this week's Scrapbook Challenges layout sketch and Twisted Sketches #47 for the card.

It's a Distress Call!

2011-02-19T08:55:00.005-05:00

Our Daily Bread Designs is hosting a challenge to create a card using a distressing technique and mailing your card to encourage someone who has some real life distress going on and could use a little encouragement. I have the perfect person in mind for this card and appreciate the inspiration to get it done,...thanks ODBD!! The bible verse, Romans 1:7, stamp is from Our Daily Bread and the die cut shape is from Papertrey Ink.
The papers are My Mind's Eye Lost and Found from The Scrap Room's February 2011 kit.

Entering this, also, to 365 Cards sketch challenge for today.

Have a marvelous and blessed day!!

MME Challenge #20

2011-02-17T15:58:00.005-05:00

Hi Folks! Just stopping by with a quick little post to beat the deadline on MME's latest challenge. I completed a layout and card with sketches from the My Mind's Eye blog Challenge #20. I, also, will be posting them to participate in a challenge at The Scrap Room, to use diagonally striped paper. Most of the supplies for these projects came from The Scrap Room's February kit.

I cut the diagonal striped paper to make a frame in the layout. To create the cursive letters, I used a glue pen:

For the card, I was playing with a few ideas. I traced and cut the scallops from the scalloped chipboard piece used in the card. I used a banner stamp from a set from The Scrap Room to stamp onto the cardstock the decorative edge to the scallops. The smaller heart was punched out, and outlined with pen. I colored the heart doily with a glimmer mist a while back. I believe that I used Honey Dew mist.

Thanks for stopping by and hanging in there with me while I'm working on becoming much more efficient in my scraproom. I'll post more on what's going on there soon, as well as some of the recent Scrapbook Challenges sketches.

Have a super day!!

Reorganizing -- Stamps, (ideas included) and Scrapbook Challenges #239

2011-02-02T09:30:00.013-05:00

Hey there!!! Two weeks into full reorganizing mode and I'm wanting to put up a white flag of defeat. I have donated over three Cropper Hoppers of paper, and a few random stamps and embellishments, so far, to my children's school art teacher. It feels great to declutter but I really want to be spending my time creating, instead.

Would you like to see a tiny bit of what I have been doing this past week? I have categorized all of my stamps by topic. All of the words, phrases or bible verses have gone into an Excel print file. They are categorized by types of sentiments, such as; grieving, birthday, friend, love, Thanksgiving, etc. This way I can reference the sets to go to when I want a particular sentiment. This is especially helpful for some of my Papertrey sentiments, as they are often co-mingled. For example, Mother's Day sentiments might be found in the same set as well wishes.

The image stamps are also being indexed on paper. They are grouped into various topics. A few examples of topics are flowers, butterflies, flourishes, borders and backgrounds. Since they are in different forms, it would be difficult to store all of the same types together. For example, cushion mounted flowers would be harder to store in the same spot as acrylic flowers. Therefore, I created the stamped indexes. Here is a photo showing a few of my index sheets that will be kept orderly in a binder:

I'm almost done with the stamps.

So far, I have had two closet makers here to propose some built-ins for my craft room. I am planning two more closet maker visits and want to get a couple cabinet makers estimates for comparison. I would love to keep the costs down with the pressed wood built-ins. But, with the job market so volatile still, I want to be prepared for a quick home downsize, if ever need be. In such case, cabinets would be a better option because I can move them.

It is overwhelming trying to organize my tools and supplies, and decide what to do to finish a lovely dedicated room, currently filled with a mish mosh of plastic storage containers and random shelving!!

The worst part of it all is rushing to complete a project for Scrapbook Challenges Sketch #239. I almost requested a skip week but do not ever want to fall into a habit of not completing my commitments. Here is the cool sketch in double page spread version that I started with for my framework:

The 5 pictures that I used were taken in a visit to Brooklyn, NY. I took my children to show them a very special place. This awesome, wonderful and magnificent building was home to my Great Grandparents, and my Great Uncle Richie. I have so many fabulous memories, that I'm glad that I have two backsides to document some of the stories! The left two photos are entrances from the street to the courtyard door, and the three on the right are from the center courtyard. Not only was it a nostalgic visit but I loved the photographs. The bricks running down the center are heat embossed and cut, and also ink stamped with a stamp from Layers of Color. I believe that this had the makings for a much greater page but rushed through it. This will not be happening again! I, also, deviated quite a bit from my original plan so the layout is not as literal as most of my sketch projects. :)

I apologize if I rambled. It's been too long since I've seen ya. ;)
Have a marvelous day! Thank you for the visit.

A Time to Reorganize

2011-01-26T08:37:00.005-05:00

I am being held up by what I least like to do,....reorganize. In the last year, I have been investing in die cuts, stamps, Copics and ribbons. However, I have not adjusted my crafting space in years to accomodate the dramatic changes to what I do with all of my paper driven craft projects. I have 5 different die cutters, several different types of die cuts and so many different types of stamps. And, everything has been in separate places. My ribbons are out of control. And, it is getting too complicating to find what I need. Hence, my neglected blog.

It is painful, to be held up from what I most want to do. But, in the long term, it will be greatly beneficial. Please stay tuned to my blog. For the next few months, I will share my Scrapbook Challenges sketches weekly and some before and after pictures for organizing my scraproom. Once the room is complete, I will continue the Scrapbook Challenges sketches; but, also, start some fun technique tips. I, also, wish to resume the Scripture Sunday entries.

Congrats Cher! I have a prize ready to send to you. Sorry for the delay in the announcement. Please contact me so that I may get your mailing address.
Cheryl Kosakura said...
Happy Birthday and congrats to the winner.
I would love to see some fun stuff done with ribbon.
-Cher

January 15, 2011 10:02 PM

Scrapbook Challenges Sketch 238:

I used a great variety of manufacturer products on this layout. The base is classic design by CherryArte that I have been holding onto for a formal page. The red punched border paper is from Fancy Pants and the two graph papers are from my January ScrapRoom kit using Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934. Please contact me if there is an embellishment that you want to know more about; but, I know that there are some Maya Road, Prima, Making Memories and Kaisercraft pieces:

Don't Take it Personally...

2011-01-17T11:52:00.008-05:00

Using Sketch Challenges #237, for a Double Page Spread.

I really wanted the pictures and title to take center stage. The title came from one of Kurt's Nike T-shirts. The few added embellishments and papers are Little Yellow Bicycle, Generation X. It's a boy thing!

Have a lovely day!!

Just Me,...& a little bit of good news

2011-01-14T19:00:00.014-05:00

Anybody want to guess how long ago this picture of me above was taken? Me neither. :) But, I am, truly, thankful today to make it to the age of 47. Twenty years ago, it was never expected that I would live this long. After miraculously surviving a life threatening accident in 1985, experts gave me a life expectancy to my mid forties. So, here I am in awe of the one above who gives me continuous opportunities to grow in His likeness in spite of myself, and my numerous shortcomings.

I thought this elementary school picture complimented the Bella Blvd line that came in the January 2011 Scrap Room Main kit ($21.95 for subscribers, and you can skip any month without any penalties):

As you can see, I used embellishments that were part of the Cosmo Cricket grouping. But, if you look close, you can see a little Flower Soft that I also added for texture, blending and dimension.

Do you like learning new techniques? If so, please definitely stay connected to my blog. I'm working on something that I'm really excited about that just might interest you technique enthusiasts like me!

I wanted to make sure that you were all tapped into a couple mojo makers. You saw The Scrap Room kit; but, they also have a fun and friendly site that is having a crop this weekend. Please join the forum and play along. I'm hosting a challenge at The Scrap Room to use Pamela Young's sketch #234. Can you see how I used it in the "Just Me" layout? I flipped the sketch upside down and journaled on the back. Here is one more close up:

The pink dotted Bella paper is a really cool graph design. It has a few crossword style, valentine type sentiments scattered in,...it's adorable.

You can find tons of inspiration at Pamela's Scrapbook Challenges site. I am so grateful for the opportunity to design with her sketches and all of the sweet ladies on the team, and on the boards. Thanks again for the hop.

Okay,....drumroll please....

Congrats Kim!
Kim said...
I'm a new follower:)
~Kim
http://crazyaboutscrapin.blogspot.com

You won The Scrap Room's January Doubleshot kit, compliments of the kit club owner, Tammy. If you send me your e-mail, she will send you this awesome kit (btw, $15 for subscribers):

I am so thankful for your time here. I wish that I could give you each a prize. However, since Tammy is so generously giving her gorgeous kit, I thought I would put a little something else together for one of the comments left from todays post. Please answer these questions; 'What techniques do you want to learn or and what techniques do you want to play with more? What types of projects would you use them in, (pages, cards, mini-albums or 3-D projects)?'
Here is the prize:

Good luck. And, be blessed. Also, thank you for so many birthday wishes. I'm overwhelmed with how many of my dear friends took the time out to wish me a happy birthday.

My brother, my friend

2011-01-10T17:55:00.011-05:00

A couple things, today. First, my adorable boys above about six years ago are featured in my take this week for Scrapbook Challenges. I, again, paired my new Cosmo Cricket Togetherness Crafting kit from ~Cath, with a photo from The Picture People. Here is the sketch:

And here is my layout:

I reversed the sketch to accomodate my photograph, and used skinny ric rac ribbon for my border to minimize the verticle space needed for a little layering, my large photograph and the tags.

You can see the awesome work from the rest of the design team on the Scrapbook Challenges site.

Thank you for such an super hop this past weekend; and, thank you for so many lovely compliments. Welcome to my new followers. I hope to inspire you with upcoming layouts, cards, projects and tutorials.

I'll be back on Friday to link you to my weekend challenge using one of Pam's Scrapbook Challenges sketches for The Scrap Room's challenge weekend.

And, I'll announce the winner from the hop then too! Have a marvelous day!!

Did Someone Say Prizes?

2011-01-07T11:00:00.015-05:00

Scrapbook Challenges is running a weekend blog hop to introduce this half of the years design team.

If you have just stopped in, please join us and start at Pamela Young's blog. If your hopping along and just left Amanda's blog, you have successfully reached your next stop at Janine's Scratch Pad! This is where I post my favorite scrappy creations.

I am a wife, a mother of two tween boys, a child of God, a student in life and love, a survivor and one who loves striving to be my best. I have lived in the Northeastern part of the United States most of my life. I enjoy the change of the seasons, beaches and lakes, plains and mountaintops. I am in many ways ecclectic. My husband tells me that I am an anomoly. I often do things that seem almost in contractiction to some foundations to my character. An example that you may relate to very well is that I can be extremely organized in some areas of the house and be delighted in total chaos in others, such as my scraproom. I am a creative scrapbooker, cardmaker and crafter who loves diversity in work and style. I love featuring new and innovative techniques and designs. My favorite product is paper and my favorite technique is finding fun ways to cut into it!

Our consistent theme for the hop is this sketch, (so I'm thinking that you've seen it a few times before, (wink wink) and a big (smile!):

I used my prize from Cath Edvalson's Moxie Fab Zipper Challenge, Cosmo Cricket's Togetherness Crafting Kit. When I saw the "I love you to the moon and back" border, I thought of the following pictures from The Picture People using the moon prop. I wanted to work the sketch with those pictures, the prize kit and wanted flourishes with moon and stars! The bottom borders are wavy cut with a Creative Memories trimmer with the pennant border hand cut at the bottom and weaved together. The bunnies are cut from the Elements sheet and attached with 3D adhesive's, (as are my punched stars). If you have any questions about what I did, please do not hesitate to ask in the comments below.

So, your probably thinking, "show me the prizes!"

1. For one person who leaves a comment on all the blogs in the hop, they will get the new Spring Market collection from Webster's Pages, including chipboard buttons and twine.

2. For one person who does a layout based on the sketch and posts in the HOP ON section, they will get the Be Mine collection from Echo Park Paper Company.

3. For inviting people to join the group, one person will get a collection of adhesive from Helmar.

4. For one new member over the weekend, some new stamps from Unity and Webster's Pages.

5. And you will find a 5th prize in the Hop On section! :)

6. For one commenter or follower on my blog, Janine's Scratch Pad, one person will get The Scrap Room's January 2011 Doubleshot kit with Fancy Pants and Sassafras. Do both, if you want to double your chances.

Now hop on to Shannon’s blog." I'll be joining you!

Have a marvelous day and enjoy the hop!! Be blessed!!

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T05:09:00.051-05:00

I hope that 2010 was good for you, and that 2011 is even better!

2010 was a pretty good year for me of a papercrafting sort. It was really my first year to delve into making cards. Sure, I've maybe created 10 cards in my liftime before 2010, but I created enough in 2010 to do a top 10. This is good because it is another way to cut into all my paper. However, it is not so good that I have been compelled to build up a better arsenal of ribbons, stamps and other embellishments. I, also, took the plunge into Copic Markers. So, now for 2011, not only do I still want to increase my photography skills, I want to work on coloring and blending with markers.

A Scrappy Year in Review, (Top Tens):
Cards first:

A Pebbles Trio

February Scraptivity note card:

February Scraptivity wedding shower card:

Teresa Collins Celebrate, (TSR kit), birthday card:

Crate Paper Snow Day, (TSR kit), Many Thanks card:

Bo Bunny Olivia, (TSR kit), Follow your Dreams card:

Bo Bunny Olivia, (TSR kit and Our Daily Bread Designs stamp), Be Still card:

Lily Bee Catching Fall, (TSR kit), Birthday card:

Hello card with Scraptivity kit stamps:

Last, but far from least, my Moxie Fab winner zipper challenge card:

I do not think that I created ten 3D projects; but, this what I found:

Mom & Jason Wall Hanging with Webster's Pages and Scraptivity:

Fan from Graphic 45 paper, (Scraptivity kit):

Teacher gift with Crate Paper:

Kaisercraft Gypsy Sisters potted rose, (Scraptivity kit)

American Crafts Dear Lizzy gift grouping:

Baby Gift Decoupaged Letters, (Chatterbox and My Mind's Eye):

Gift Card Pockets with BoBunny Olivia & Making Memmories Fa La La with Little Yellow Bicycle stickers):

Masculine gift card with BoBunny Roughin It:

Last up, my favorite layouts. I do most of my journaling on lined paper that gets adhered to the back of each layout:

American Crafts Dear Lizzy:

Mostly Basic Grey Bittersweet and Sketches {by Tamara):

Little Yellow Bicycle and Sketches {by Tamara):

A Scraptivity kit layout with Graphic 45 and Webster's Pages:

A Sketch Challenge with Jillibean:

A Recipe Challenge with Sketches {by Tamara}:

The Paper Company Studios Boho Blooms from Scraptivity kit work:

BoBunny Roughin It:

Bella Blvd: One Fall Day, (TSR kit):

October Afternoon Seaside, (TSR kit):

It was a wonderful year with a few design assignments. I began the year with Scraptivity kits and Sketches {by Tamara}. Both were an awesome source of mojo. Scraptivity was fabulous as it featured new techniques each month. I would love to have this type of assignment again even if it was stressful with usually about five days to create 5 projects. Of course, I always love a good sketch and Tamara was very good with those.

I ended the year as a MOD Squad leader for October to December. It was incredibly fun coming up with challenges to feature Tammy's kits and encourage the members to use their kit contents. I am incredibly grateful to have had these super opportunities in 2010.

But, I do not know what 2011 will bring and I am still uncertain of my aspirations. Do I take time off to improve my skills, clean my scraproom and focus more on family and friends? Do I begin to step up my efforts to submit to Publication calls? Do I continue my quest for a manufacturer design team position? What are your papercrafting goals?

Many thanks

2010-12-18T13:18:00.004-05:00

....this one will be for my holiday pollyanna gift exchange giver. I used Clean & Simple Stamping Challenge 121, Crate Paper Snow Day, some Jillibean and The ScrapRoom's December kit pieces.

Thank You!

2010-12-18T13:00:00.003-05:00

Using Card Patterns Sketch 95, Crate Paper Snow Day and The ScrapRoom's December kit pieces, I made a thank you to our school's librarian, as she gave me a little holiday gift for being a helper this year.

Crate Sketch Challenge

2010-12-18T08:50:00.004-05:00

Crate is running a sketch challenge, and it inspired me to use some of my remaining pieces from the Crate line of The ScrapRoom's December 2010 kit.

I haven't updated with my recent projects; but, this one is a favorite from the Basic Grey line in the kit.

I hope that you are having a marvelous Holiday and Christmas season. Be blessed!

One More TSR November Kit card

2010-12-07T15:25:00.005-05:00

I'm still playing with my scraps until my December kit arrives!

Peace

2010-12-05T12:22:00.004-05:00

It's Scripture Sunday!

Our church of worship is running a series of sermons called The Red Thread. It ties in so nicely to the focal challenge of the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge for this week, Challenge #68 - Isaiah 1:18, "'Come now and let us reason together,' says the Lord, 'though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.'"

I blended the challenge with my hearts response to today's focus of worship at Calvary Fellowship Church,

Micah 5:2-5a:
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans[a] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”

3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.

4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.

5 And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians invade our land
and march through our fortresses.

The Red Thread, continuing Old Testiment tellings of Jesus, spoke of "The Gift of Peace", today. One of the reasons that Jesus' followers can be at peace is in the knowing of our sanctification through the fulfillment of God's prophecy through Jesus.

What things can you do to be at peace?

1. Believe that you are an overcomer:
1 John 5:5 - Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

2. Confess sin and move on:
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

3. Trust His ways because He is trustworthy:
2 Samuel 7:28 - Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

4. Pray:
Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

This was my take away from my worship, today, with my own verse references, (as I did not take any notes).

The white background has a little tone on tone imaging that does not show up well in the photograph. It was first embossed and then white snowflake rub-ons were added. The dimensional artisan element is from Pink Paislee; and, the letters are Thickers. The inking was done with a Copic and I need to get some blending solution to refine the coloring.

I pray that you are blessed from this visit and that I have spoken in truth as declared through God's word, & that my words are honoring to Him. I hope to be back again with Scripture Sunday next week.

Have a marvelous week. In His Love, Janine

The Color Room #35

2010-12-04T09:29:00.003-05:00

I love this color combination for The Color Room Challenge #35, and immediately thought of the Basic Grey Jovial line for it. I cut the Jovial Svelta Doilie Laser sheet for the snowflakes/flowers, and a Maya Road sheer for the large flourishes. I used their sketch for inspiration, as well.

Have a super day! Be blessed!

Moxie Fab Triple Play!!

2010-11-30T06:43:00.014-05:00

Three Moxie Fabulous attempts today!

My favorite is the zipper challenge! I was really excited when I saw this challenge because I have been holding a Junkitz zipper that was sent to me years ago that I assumed would be the least likely to ever be used item in my stash. But, when I saw the Moxie Fabulous creations posted, I started brainstorming. And, I was so very delighted that no one else came up with the idea that I did that I am thrilled to be posting it today!! Added to my zipper tree is a Jillibean star that was Maya Butternut Squash Orange misted, a couple Basic Grey presents cut from a patterned paper and adhered with dimensional foams, a Little Yellow Bicycle Rub-on and two scraps from the November TSR kit.

But, I also am entering two new challenges. Yesterday, an all occasion challenge was posted. I decided to finish an already started project to complete this challenge. I have been experimenting with Copic markers and creating tutorials for The ScrapRoom. There is a coloring tutorial posted in their Member Forum on how I colored the Bo Bunny Olivia flowers. Hope you like it!!

Finally, today's Moxie Fab challenge is to create a paper crafted birthday card. I have been having a lot of fun mixing up my Lily Bee and WRMK scraps from the November TSR kit, and this card was no exception.

Thanks, Moxie Fab, for these challenges! I think that these are three of my favorite cards that I have made!! Be blessed and be merry!!

I{heart}2stamp & TSR

2010-11-29T12:24:00.002-05:00

Still digging into my scraps!
Here is the link to I{heart}2stamp.

Card Patterns Sketch #92

2010-11-29T10:31:00.004-05:00

Using up some TSR kit scraps. Inside:

Link to Card Patterns
Thanks for visiting!! :)

Flubeedoobee-itis, Scripture Sunday and Bo Bunny

2010-11-28T14:34:00.006-05:00

I'm going to do my best to remain on point today.

This includes an allegory about Christian credibility and my failures to spread the word. Then, it also includes fun Bo Bunny cards. Very different purposes, yet to me, connected.

A bible mentor of mine once told a parable of Flubeedoobee-itis, (or something like that). The gist of it is something like this: If I were to approach a person who doesn't know me and tell them that they had a new disease called Flubeedoobee-itis, they would think that I was absolutely crazy,...right. Well, that is often what happens when we approach people about the saving love of Jesus Christ.

However, if in the case of the person with Flubeedoobee-itis,...if they knew that I was a very reputible doctor who has cured many from various illnesses, they might consider this Flubeedoobee-itis as something that needs great medical care. So, that leads me to my point. Although there is nothing to know about me that will convince you that I am not crazy; if I don't reveal anything about myself, I will never be effective in helping transform lives to the acceptance of the "good news".

There is a testimony here. God kept me alive, againest the odds. Then, he has allowed me a full life filled with incredible blessings. My necessary response is to tell my story.

This is intended to be my first of many "Scripture Sundays". I hope to create cards with scripture or spiritual encouragement and tell a little of my story.

The card above is being submitted as a Bo Bunny blog sketch entry. The card below is intended for Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #67: Make a card/project of encouragement or congratulations.

Holiday Gift Card Pocket

2010-11-27T14:39:00.004-05:00

The Scrap Room is hosting a "Holiday Day of Gift Making". If your interested in the steps that I used in the project above, please see my post in The Scrap Room's member forum. You will need to be registered for viewing; but, it is entirely free. And, there are oodles of phenomenal ideas! But, don't take my word for it,....please, see for yourself! :) Hope to see ya there!

P.S. I used the same steps to make the Bo Bunny project in my TSR November slideshow.

More October Afternoon

2010-11-21T18:52:00.009-05:00

Just a few quick additions. Above is a layout using a Pagemap sketch for a TSR challenge. Below, are a couple cards made to use the two postcards that I received in my embellishment kit:

The "moving {again}" card uses Card Positioning Systems #194.

inside:

I'm pretty sure that I won't be back now until after Thanksgiving. Have a marvelous and blessed Holiday!

A Little October Afternoon in November

2010-11-20T13:36:00.004-05:00

Currently, I'm using a little of the October Afternoon line from my The Scrap Room kit.

This first layout uses a challenge that I presented on the TSR forums using a papercrafting recipe.

The following one, is probably one of my most overworked underdone layouts in quite some time,....it's a long story. The owl is a Pink Paislee chipboard piece that I have been saving for an occasion such as this.

If I do not see you again before Thursday, please have a very blessed Thanksgiving!

I am very Thankful to be living in a free country.
God bless.

Scrapping to know YOU with Bo Bunny

2010-11-17T13:33:00.002-05:00

Playing along with manufacturer, Bo Bunny, I created a page about me using their Olivia line that I received in my November Scrap Room kit.

Journaling reads: Undergraduate took me 9 years. The journey was long and injudicious; but, I had the desire to continue deep in my soul. Through the death of my mother, a life altering accident, marriage, divorce, other heartbreaks, and several other life up and down events, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. I found that I liked learning so much that I went back about nine more years to obtain a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters of Taxation. Joan and Don White, (pictured with me), are dear friends who encouraged me and came to show their support.

On The Scrap Room's Member Forum, I left a little tutorial on how I created the flowers and leaves wiith the Bo Bunny stamp.

Be blessed!

Bo Bunny Olivia

2010-11-14T12:20:00.006-05:00

Back again in one weekend! Been capitalizing on my feeling well and feeling creative! I dug into the The ScrapRoom's Bo Bunny Olivia line for today's post. First up, (above), is a layout for a sketch challenge on the Bo Bunny blog. The layout above is my submittal. The large white flowers are made with the Bo Bunny stamp onto white vellum and cut around the outside.

Next, is my take on The ScrapRoom's Mod Squad challenge #2 for the month of November to use white space. Deanna, also, left a Page Map sketch for optional use. I opted in. :) You can find the challenge on The Scraproom's Forum. If you need to register to see the challenge, it is a free membership.

Also, I created a wedding gift card with pocket to send for a wedding that we were unable to attend. We are a little late getting it into the mail. :) I hope they like it!

...and, here it is opened:

That's all for now! Be blessed!

Happy Birthday, Deanna!

2010-11-13T10:08:00.002-05:00

Out of the Pot and Into the Frying Pan

2010-11-12T08:01:00.009-05:00

That's how I feel these days. It's just been crazy. Sicknesses, breakdowns, an abundance of four-footed and eight legged intruders, exterminators, service providers, new appliances, doctors, dentists, therapists, teachers,....my head is swirling.

And, I thought that when we were done with 10 hours of football a week that we would be smooth sailing until basketball season starts. Boy, was I wrong! Well, here I am sleep deprived but feeling okay with some antibiotics, (finally), to ease my overclogged sinus'.

The Scrap Room's November kit is now available. And, it's beautiful! Also, very practical and generic, with a touch of Fall...it can be used for so many different types of photographs or projects:

Deanna and I are first featuring the Lily Bee line. We started with a challenge for three embellishments.....all to the tune of Three's Company. :) Want more Three's Company? See here.

My three embellishments are all from the November Kit: pennants, chipboard buttons and KI Memories Black Happy Words Scribbles

Last but not least, the layout at the top, uses a Sketchy Thursday sketch by Diana Fisher. Enter now for your chance at some awesome Copic Markers! Doan-cha love the Lily Bee papers!!

Have a marvelous week! Blessings, Janine

It's A Celebration!!

2010-10-24T08:29:00.004-04:00

There's a party goin' on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you

Come on now...

and head on over to The Scrap Room celebrating six years of awesome kits. Above, you see the Teresa Collins Celebrate line featuring my boys & Goofy from our WDW trip November 2007.

It's A Celebration by Kool & the Gang

Here, I am amidst the lovely Crate Restoration papers and lace from my Nana's handkerchief:

The kit is shown in my post below. Each of the four lines has been great to create some of my favorite pages.
Blessings,...J

Another Week of Challenges with TSR

2010-10-16T10:15:00.008-04:00

This layout was created earlier in the week, when Deanna, posted a challenge featuring the Bella Blvd. One Fall Day line, (lower left collection), using multi-photos.

The Scrap Room's October kit

Once Upon a Time....

Today, I posted another TV Retro Challenge using All in the Family's theme song and Crate Restoration, (lower right collection). It's always hard to present an old faded photograph on a scrapbook page without it getting completely lost. But, this one is very touching to me because it just reminds me of a time when I truly felt like the world centered around me,...maybe it wasn't healthy, :), but it sure pulled me through some tougher times later...

Also, I want to add a quick thanks Pebbles for featuring my cards in your Dear Pebbles post this past week!

Hope that you have a marvelous weekend! Blessings to you!

TSR Challenges & Sassy Lil' Sketches

2010-10-11T07:59:00.008-04:00

Using The Brady Bunch jingle, a new challenge can be found at The Scraproom, using the American Crafts City Park line, one of the four lines featured in the October kit:

Here's the story of a lovely challenge
To encourage you to use a very lovely line.
All of it has fine bright colors, with mulberry cardstock,
a wonderful tag and flowers.

Please visit The Scraproom for the whole challenge, and song. One of the recipe ingredients that I am requesting is a homemade embellishment. For my example, (above), I made felt flowers based on a felt sticker that came in the embellishment add-on. There is a quick tutorial in the October forum to create the felt flowers.

Also, a new challenge went up on The ScrapRoom blog today. It requires the use of a sketch from Sassy Lil' Sketches. I converted it to a double pager in order to fit more photographs.

A Week in Review

2010-10-08T04:38:00.010-04:00

The Scrap Rooms Challenge #2 for October, which is a title challenge.

The Scrap Rooms Week #40 blog challenge to use pop dots:

I used pop dots under the layered waves, the banner and the circle of the waves and boat photograph.

More cards using TSR Sketches of the Day:

Go Phillies!

Daily Card Sketches and Freebies

2010-10-03T06:30:00.004-04:00

Both of these cards used The Scrap Rooms July 2010 kit contents mostly.
The Scrap Room turns six years old this month and is celebrating with a big bash! Every day a question is posed and a winner is drawn for a prize.

Also, we are releasing a sketch a day for inspiration. The cards in my blog today were made using sketches that I made for the party. They may be found in the National Card Making "Month" forum. But they are just sketched by hand. If you would be willing to share how you create your sketches, I would be very grateful! :) I cannot seem to find a "Sketches for Dummies" or a "Sketches 101" resource. :)

The Scrap Room Challenge

2010-10-02T10:22:00.004-04:00

The Scrap Room will be busy with weekly challenges, daily cards and intermittent tips this month. I'm planning several tips on using "journaling spots". As a MOD Squad member, I will leave teasers on my blog. But, please sign up for The Scrap Room Message Board so that you can enjoy all the full details. It's free!

Speaking of details...

Yesterday, I left you with a quote to stir your curiousity for the first challenge of my posting at The Scrap Room. It was:

"Just sit right back and ..."

If you found yourself finishing the line, you would have continued with, "...you'll hear a tale,..." Is it coming to you yet?

"...a tale of a fateful trip..."

Need more? Then, you must be much younger than I :) Click here for some fun memories.

I have recreated the theme song/jingle to provide our challenge at The Scrap Room. But, you will have to look in the forums for my improvised version. It provides the recipe that I used for todays' featured layout.

Journaling reads, "While Jason was happy to create letters in the sand, Kurt hankered to constantly be in deeper waters. It was difficult to keep Kurt safe. Our Thrill seeker"

Have a blessed day!

MOD Squad Blog Hop!

2010-10-01T03:10:00.016-04:00

Greetings!! I'm so glad that you could visit!

This post marks the debut of The Scrap Room's new MOD Squad team. This team consists of a group of terrific ladies who will be committed to hosting challenges and keeping the board and gallery busy at The Scrap Room. We will host a Sub-Forum, called the MOD Squad Cafe Corner. Here, you will find each month special monthly, weekly and intermittent features. It will supply the following:

Weekly Roast - This will feature a kit of the week, and will be where you find our weekly challenges.

The Monthly Blend - This will be the home to share your 4 kits in one projects. It is always fun building a project to have at least one item representing each line from the “Flavors of the Month” Kit.

Brewing Tips - Will feature the tutorials, and any other tips and techniques that we share during our quarter.

Supreme Roast Of The Week - This is will be the home of a new "member spotlight". It will be so fun to highlight a project from The Scrap Room gallery.

The MOD Squad members will serve a three month term running the Cafe Corner. However, we will all share in several fun and collaborative activities year round. This blog hop is one example. Also, there will be a MOD Squad Crop in which the awesome Design Team at The Scrap Room have volunteered to assist. More details of that will come in future posts.

If you came from Our Crazy Little World, you already met Barbara who heads up our diverse group and does a fabulous job keeping us in line. At Janine's Scratch Pad, you have reached the second stop for this blog hop to kick off the new challenge/inspirational format at The ScrapRoom. Your next stop will be Deanna's blog. She is an amazingly productive scrapper that can be an encouragement to anyone. Her and I have the honor to host the first month of this wonderful brain child of Tammy's.

And if you don't know Tammy Harp, let me just say that she has an eye for new product like nobody else. She is the owner of The Scrap Room, and puts together superior product line combinations every month. She is the ultimate in a scrapbooking personal shopper. Just look here and you'll see what I mean. And, please, take a peek to see the Previous Kits link, too. It will just affirm your belief in her shopping talents.

But, be forewarned, the whole crew has so many incredible talents and personalities that you are going to love each quarter. So, as you carry-on and visit Deanna next and the rest of the fabulous MOD Squad be prepared for some great adventures ahead at The Scrap Room.

My card features the October Afternoon Seaside kit. This kit will be our first Weekly Roast. I used one of its' Wild Cards, on the front, (top of this post). The sentiments inside will read, "Your ship has come in."

I will leave you with a final tribute and clue to tomorrow's post. It will be the first line of your first challenge in our new Cafe Corner. Any guesses on what is to come?

"Just sit right back and ..."

Please visit Deanna next at Moments to Cherish

Testing....

2010-09-29T17:53:00.003-04:00

1......2......3......

Okay, it still works! :)

I am sorry folks. I have missed y'all. I have been on a little haitus from blogging, and scrapbooking for that matter... Been busy Disney planning!

However, I will be back in full swing on Friday! Now, to figure out what I will be posting. My post will be part of a blog hop for The Scrap Room.

Did you know that October 2nd is World Card Making Day? Of course you did! :) The newly appointed MOD Squad for The Scrap Room will be making its' debut with a fun blog hop showing some of our latest card creations. Hope you'll join the party! See you then!!

Blessings!

Webster's August Challenge

2010-08-01T19:56:00.004-04:00

Webster's Pages has a challenge to lift one of a number of layouts, for the month of August. I lifted Karola's. The doily is misted and inked to blend. The darker pink paper is Pink Paislee, the dimensional stickers are K&Company, and the flowers are Petaloo's, I believe. I used Martha Stewart punches for the fancy edges and a few MME diecuts.

This is a picture of my dear beloved mother. I'm still sad when I think of all the times I have missed having her, especially when I had my babies. What a grandmother she would have been. :)

However, I am very blessed to have the wonderful family that I have!

Bo Bunny ROUGHIN' IT

2010-07-30T07:28:00.005-04:00

I love this photograph. We could always count on Kurt to fall asleep in the car just as we were about to reach any driven destination. He would end up sleeping on his father's shoulder through a meal or activity. This picture is one of a gazillion of these instances.

This card was made for my dear neighbor, Brenda, who just moved away. She passed down so many awesome boy clothes as she was purging for her move. I just had to get her a gift card to replenish a smidgen of her boy's clothes.

Journaling reads, "You don't raise hereos, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be hereos, even if it's just in your eyes.

My father goes to this Nova Scotia cottage every Summer. We visit every third year. It is quite a drive but so lovely and incredible!

This pun came immediately to my head as I viewed the 3D sticker. I love you so much that, "I could not love you S'more".

Using The Scraproom's Bonus kit found on this Specials page.
Have a marvelous weekend! Be blessed!

American Crafts Dear Lizzy

2010-07-23T23:52:00.008-04:00

Just a few of the projects that I have been working on this week. These layouts were made on some of the rare occasions that I work with some of the photographs that are meaningful to me, only. The photographs are almost 20 years old, and were pulled from a neglected pile of special memories! But, that pile is a definite "go to" when I want to work with pinks! I loved cutting and using those flowers! LOL!

Masculine Cards

2010-07-11T17:15:00.015-04:00

(Mojo Monday 146) -- MME Kaleidoscope

It's Elementary, My Dear

2010-07-09T11:44:00.005-04:00

If all Jason needed to know was learned in Kindergarten, he is in good shape. He learned so many things about having fun, trusting, dreaming, hoping....

Inspired by the bricks in the photograph to the right. The base is MME Ooh La La. It is splattered with a little red paint. The brick red is MME Bohemia. The other papers are Cosmo Cricket Material Girl and October Afternoon Thrift Shop. The dimensional stickers and brad are Basic Grey Origins.

My In-Laws are coming this weekend. What are your plans? Hope it's a great one!

Just Me

2010-07-06T07:40:00.005-04:00

Supplies: Pink Paislee die cut paper, Basic Grey patterned paper, My Mind's Eye phrase die cut, Creative Memories foam squares, Sassafras Lass button, stamp from February 2010 Scraptivity kit, cat's eye dark brown ink, VersaMagic Red Brick ink, ribbon unknown.

P.A.D. 5 - Summer Fun!

2010-07-05T08:47:00.020-04:00

Sketch by 2S4Y, #55. Ribbon is Fancy Pants from kit mentioned in prior posts, cardstock is from kit and Creative Memories. The stamp is Close To My Heart, colored with Creative Memories pens and a light blue Souffle. The bows are Martha Stewart. Also entering this in a few other challenges:

ColorQ #39
Really Reasonable Ribbon
AiFactory Challenge 42
Bildmalarna Blog: Red, White and Blue Celebration - Bringing on the stars and stripes

Have a marvelous day!!

Thankful to Live in Freedom

2010-07-04T08:42:00.016-04:00

Happy Independence Day, America!

I used Creative Scrappers sketch #110, and patterned papers from Top Shelf's June Kit #2, Fancy Pants. The wavey flag was made with a Creative Memories curvy trimmer. The large star is cut with Sizzix, and scored and folded for dimension. "FREE" is from a Jenni Bowlin Bingo card. The red star felt strip is Queen & Co.'s. The corner pieces are Scenic Route, and I'm unsure of the manufacturer for the stickers, bling and brads. The base is Basic Grey; and finally, the red, white and blue cardstocks are Creative Memories.

Entering this into Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #46 - 2 Chronicles 7:14 I feel the same concerns as Chris commented with the challenge. Charles Stanley is hosting a 140 days of prayer for America.

Entering this into No Time To Stamp?, Stamp Simply #146 - Star Light, Star Bright.

Entering this into For Fun Challenges, June 30 - Patriotic Pride

Entering this into AiFactory Challenge 42

Entering this into Bildmalarna Blog: Red, White and Blue Celebration - Bringing on the stars and stripes

And Dr. Youssef is leading a praying for our nation from July 4, 2010 to November 2, 2010, as well. Will you consider praying for our nation? Of course, it would also be a blessing to pray for freedom in general and all the nations and their citizens.

Have a very blessed day!!

Two Front Teeth

2010-07-03T07:35:00.005-04:00

I adore Jason's First Grade picture! It reminds me that I sang, "All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth," at a presentation in First Grade. I sure wish I had a video of it, or even one measly picture. Jason already has nine 12x12 albums, and those are the ones that actually have the pages in them. Anyhoo,...I have always loved seeing layouts where the designers incorporated multiple wallets into it. I knew that I wanted to accomplish it with this photograph. This is my second layout using Taryn's Fancy Pants kit that I bought when at our retreat last weekend. But, what I worked on all Saturday were these decoupaged letters:

These letters were crafted for a friends nursery. Being my second decoupage project, I'm still learning about the medium of Mod Podge and how it affects the surfaces.

My first project was a wooden candlestick. For that project, I cut most of the papers into squares and molded them around the form. This time, I traced the letters and measured the strips to adhere to a cardboard like substance intended for altering. What I learned is that a heavy coat buckles, (notice the "E"), and too light a coat, dries without the sheen finish, (notice on the "N"). I will add one more coat to resolve the latter problem. The papers are all My Mind's Eye and Chatterbox, and were chosen by the Mom to match her other decoratives in Ethan's room. I love the color scheme!

I'm off to a picnic today! Happy early Independence Day! May you be blessed this weekend in celebration of our freedoms.

FP, My Family

2010-07-02T10:27:00.009-04:00

Taryn's June Top Shelf Memory kit, Fancy Pants My Family, today's being the first of the three.

Gotta Love the Choice

2010-07-01T14:57:00.004-04:00

None of them would be a bad one. They are just too cute. The arrow points to Baxter and the colors are from The Color Room Palette #12. I used the sketch and room photograph as a starting point, as well.

And while we are on the topic of choices, choosing some Scraptivity kits on sale this Summer would be another good choice. :) This week they are featuring a kit filled with American Crafts and the month’s technique is using transfers with Rinse Away paper and Tranz-It gel.

It's starting out to be a busy Summer with the boys. Hope your having as much fun as we are! Be blessed!

MME Challenge #12: I Remember

2010-06-16T14:13:00.003-04:00

I have a layout started three weeks ago that I cannot bring myself to finish. I'm stuck in the decision making process. Currently, it is fairly clean and I am tempted to add a lot of dimension. I cannot decide if it will give it a WOW factor or make it overdone.

BUT, this layout took about an hour from conception to posting. Gotta love when that happens!! I used the current My Mind's Eye challenge and papers, with embellishments, from a kit that Tammy from The Scraproom put together.

Faithbooking

2010-06-16T11:22:00.005-04:00

Faithbooking, using the My Mind's Eye Quite Contrary Collection. I walk this path with my friend, Serena, discussing our trails and tribulations, giving thanks, praises and lifting concerns in prayer. From Psalm 119:105

Sorry, we lost touch.....

2010-06-15T13:55:00.004-04:00

Where in the world....have you been?
Looking for a way to use my arrows from the My Mind's Eye Quite Contrary Collection, I went with a globe stamp, and some papers from the same MME collection. I used WHAT IF? Wednesday – Sketch Challenge J210.

The Aftermath

2010-06-12T10:50:00.003-04:00

It always looks like a tornado blew in and scattered out everything from under the tree once we are done with Christmas morning gift opening. It is a flurry of activity! And, no matter how much we try to spread it out so that we can savor the day, it still looks like it all happened in one fast swoop.

I do not, usually, scrap out of season. But, when Pagemaps posted a current sketch challenge featuring Webster's Pages, I just wanted to use this line, Home for the Holidays. Therefore, I went through my Christmas photographs and found the fun memory of Christmas morning disorder that I wanted to document !!

I hope that you will join this challenge!

More Crate Paper Lemongrass - Cards and Layout

2010-06-06T10:08:00.004-04:00

Just a few more cards and some overuse of the "nut" theme.... ;)

I used the sketch that Jing-Jing posted here.

What I Love About Sketches and Challenges...

2010-06-06T07:34:00.008-04:00

These reasons are probably true for many papercrafters. Generally, it's a starting point. Creativity can be overwhelming. There are so many ideas swirling through my mind, I rarely can make a choice about how to start. When there is a design assignment it helps tremendously. The focus then becomes how to feature the design items in fun and imaginative ways.

When I am not under the pressure to design with specific items, it is hard to narrow it down. Thus, challenges and sketches help organize the ideas and prioritize some of the projects.

Another awesome reason to love the sketches and challenges is that it brings in visitors. Even if they do not comment, chances are they are seeing a glimpse of me that might bring about a recollection in some future encounter. Eventually, we might find some commonality that brings us closer together,... and how cool that is when it happens!!

So, there you have it. At times when it makes me question my creativity, I remind myself of these facts,...and look to the next challenge!!

This card is entered in Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #42 - Genesis 1:26

Genesis 1:26, "And God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.'"

Hopefully, it is okay to enter without an actual stamp on my project. I have, however, included the stated challenge requirement, "make a card/project that has some kind of animal on it; i.e., a fish, bird, land mammal, or a creeping bug."

I used a sketch by The Sweet Shop #56, (SSS56).

The inside reads, "I missed your day!" I would not like to tell you how many people would deserve this card and sentiments from me,...I'm hoping to change that soon!!

Putting an oh, so small, dent in my Crate Paper Lemongrass papers and die cuts!!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

Creative Scrappers # 106

2010-06-05T12:03:00.003-04:00

Crate Paper Lemongrass is a beautiful collection. But, I do not remember how I ended up with some doubles. And, it is hard to imagine how I will ever put a dent in all my scrapbooking supplies that I collected and love, when I can hardly put a dent into one line! This layout was created using the latest Creative Scrappers sketch.

Just popping in to say.....

2010-06-03T08:19:00.005-04:00

I used a Scraptiv!ty February 2010 Kit stamp. I stamped once and rotated it about an 1/8 and stamped again to create this doily image. The inks are Close to My Heart's Sunny Yellow and Orchid Bouquet, outlined with a Creative Memories Plum Bold Tip marker and the chipboard is Little Yellow Bicycle.

Be blessed!

My Mind's Eye Challenge #11 Anything Goes

2010-05-20T13:56:00.007-04:00

How I love these hues of pink and green! These MME papers and die cuts are from the Tres Jolie lines,...still among my favorites. I am realizing with these older photographs how fabulous it is to be able to lighten and alter the tones on a photograph now, before printing. But, on the other hand, with the MME Frames, I just love the way the photographs pop!

Anyhoo,...here is my "little man", Kurt. He never looked like a newborn. At five months of age, he is huge! Kurt also has gotten my fair complexion.

It was fun working on pictures from our pool area as we are approaching the Season! Can't wait! Hope you are having a marvelous Spring! Until next time,...cheers!

Dusted Off A Cropper Hopper Today....

2010-05-19T11:06:00.008-04:00

...and found this Bo Bunny Tuscany line to make 3 cards for 4 different challenges or sketches. The first image will be entered into Paper Craft's Magazine's latest competition, Gallery Idol.

The card on the left was made with a sketch from Repeat Impressions.

The middle card was made with a sketch from Card Positioning Systems #167.

The card on the right was made with a sketch from the Bo Bunny blog.

These quick cards only needed some additional cardstock and a few brads to complete...fun!

Have a blessed day! xo

Making a Tulle Flower

2010-05-17T09:07:00.004-04:00

I feel so incredibly blessed to have had such a extended time to get to know my amazing Great Grandparents, who were married for 60 years! My Great Grandfather was gentle and kind, and always lead our family in a Norwegian prayer at family mealtimes. He lived to be 90 years of age. My Great Grandmother lived to be 103, and I can remember her having scripture verses on cards lying about, (& often enclosed in birthday cards along with cash); and, the television was often turned to church shows. I know that their prayers and grace encouraged me through so many trials in life.

A very quick and easy tutorial is posted today on Scraptiv!ty's blog demonstrating how I made this tulle flower with supplies found in the May kit.:

Have a marvelous week! Please continue to check the Scraptiv!ty forum for flower ideas. I am up again tomorrow and still trying to decide what to make! :)

If Friends Were Flowers....

2010-05-11T07:51:00.008-04:00

...Kurt would pick some Queen Anne's Lace or pretty Wild Daisies, some proliferating wild Aster's that seem to dominate a garden once started,....or maybe just a Wild Rose. He, always, is attracted to sassy, sweet and pretty girls, as friends, that have a dynamic personality that just takes over! Mikayla is a darling example. She was his best friend during his second year of preschool.

For a tutorial on how I made the tulle flower, please see Scraptiv!ty's Techniques Forum. Every weekday, we are posting tutorials, or links, to creating a flower in the blooming month of May! I used mostly The Paper Company Studio's Boho Blooms on this project as included in Scraptiv!ty's May 2010 kit.

A Couple Cards

2010-05-07T14:31:00.009-04:00

There are not enough hours in a day! To make it seem even shorter this week, my body decided to catch up on some sleep,... so once you take away the time that I am parenting, maiding, cooking, accounts payable clerking, chaffeuring and wife'ng :),......I was left with very little time this week to do what I wanted to do. However, I managed to tweak in two cards with my Scraptiv!ty kit and a couple other new items.

The taller card was made using a color challenge. Please see the details from my post below.

For the horizontal card, I was playing with some new items from Our Daily Bread Designs. I love their Christian themed items and incredible inspiration from spectacular designers. I am hoping to start a card making ministry at my church to support the prayer and care team, who provide visits for the sick and bereaving. For now, I am just experimenting with some new stamps, dies and styles! I cannot ever seem to decide if I prefer the clean and graphic cards or the shabby chic, but I seem to lean towards the more dimensional cards once I get started. The blue papers, the ribbon and the heart pearl sticker came from May's kit and add-ons.

I hope that you have a marvelous weekend! I hope that all the Mom's get spoiled with a generous supply pampering and love! Be blessed!!

Color Throwdown #91 with Scraptiv!ty

2010-05-07T14:10:00.005-04:00

Using my kit, I added some rosy red cardstock and misted flowers from my supplies to take on this fun challenge at the color throwdown. The blue cardstock, flower stamens, butterfly and "Hello" stamp and Tattered Angels mists were from the May Scraptiv!ty Kit. The flourish gems and ribbon were Boho Blooms add-ons.

Additional: Papertrey die and Fillable Frames #1, white cardstock, misc. flowers and gems, pp from SEI Bridgeport, CTMH Topiary Ink

"Hello" Card

2010-05-06T13:26:00.002-04:00

Please see the blog post from yesterday at Scraptiv!ty for the step-by-step instructions on how to create this card.

Asian Flowers - 10 Easy Steps

2010-05-02T12:22:00.020-04:00

Here is the little tutorial that I was hoping to post today. The flourishes were cut from Paper Adventures patterned paper – Pink Scrolls which comes in Scraptivity's November 2007 kit. The flowers, as are most of the supplies, were created with the May 2010 kit. I hope that you enjoy. And, please check out Scraptiv!ty's forum each weekday this month for similar tutorials by the design team.

To help demonstrate the steps, I created a set of petals with double the size of my flowers because the photographs on the smaller petals were not coming out clear enough with my camera. The flowers on my "Reflections of China" layout were made with strips of paper 1/2"x1&1/2". For this demonstration, I used a 1"x3" strip, on most of the photographs.

1. Cut your strip
2. Fold it in half to make a narrow strip
3. Fold in half to shorten:

TIP: If you paper is thick, and hard to manipulate, (like mine was), soak your strip in water for 5 seconds and towel dry. This softens the paper nicely.

4. Now, if your paper were thinner than my Bazzill:textured cardstock – Pomegranate, you could cut a rounded edge on the open end of your folded papers, and steps four and five would be combined. But, since my double folded paper was too thick, I unfolded the second fold to cut a rounded edge from the top open corner, and cut from each outside edge. First one side,...
5. Then, the other side so that my strip looked like this:

6. Holding the strip folded lengthwise once, fold one of the halves down a second time like this:

7. Fold the other side down as well:

8. Fold it back as you did in step 3 to shorten. Pinch it tight in the center, because in the next step, you will unfold the outer edges to form the petals. But, for now, fold as such:

9. Unfold the outer edges. Each of my flowers needed steps 1 to 9 repeated twice for three sets. Since my flowers have 5 petals, I cut one of my sets in half to create a fifth petal:

10. Arrange your petals.

Thanks for checking out the tutorial! Blessings to you.

Happy National scrapbooking Day!

2010-05-01T17:08:00.006-04:00

I'm excited to show you Scraptiv!ty's May 2010 kit. I changed to the alternate design team when my time in Georgia last month conflicted with a late shipment of the April kit. It makes me so very happy when I get to design, even when the short deadlines are stressful.

This month was all about making flowers. It happens to be my favorite embellishment to make. The flowers on the layout featured today were handmade from cardstock. I will get together a tutorial tomorrow to show you the steps. I created the centers with microbeads from Scraptiv!ty's September 2007 kit.

There is a challenge for the NSD crop here, to use a previous technique, on the forum. Hope you join in. Did I mention that there will be prizes?

Be blessed!

You Know What They Say About April Showers.....

2010-04-29T13:31:00.003-04:00

I do not like blogging without a picture. I promise, you won't see it often. But now, that I'm back from two Spring vacations, I am right back into the busy-ness at home and online.

But, I want to shout about the fun kit that I'm working on for the May 1st release at Scrapti!ty! It's another winner! And there will be sooo much inspiration this month of May, on their forum. So, if your not registered yet, I recommend doing it now. There are no commitments or obligations to do so,....just lots of ultra-cool ideas! Here's the link: Scraptiv!ty's Member Forum

Online crop links found here

...and some NSD specials here

And come back May 1st for the reveal....

Blessings!

Nana at Sixteen

2010-04-13T05:41:00.004-04:00

...in the New York Evening Post in 1933. She always loved clothes with polka dots too!

The large photograph was already very torn on the edges, so I carefully tore the edges so that there were no more remaining rips and distressed the edges with ink. There are a variety of odds and ends in this layout but I used a couple different lines from some past releases of Fancy Pants for most of the papers (except for the singing bird, which if you have been scrapbooking for awhile, you probably recognize as MME Bohemia.

From Tamara Challenge #115 -- Recipe Challenge

This week, we are featuring a Recipe Challenge. This weeks Recipe Challenge came from Janine, one of the Design Team Members here at Sketches! {by tamara}. Please use at least these three items on your layouts or cards:

Brads
Buttons
The Color Blue

And speaking of Recipe Challenges, I am also hosting a challenge in Scraptiv!ty's Spring Fling. Please check it out here. But, you may have to register first.

Be blessed!

All in a Days Work

2010-04-06T05:47:00.006-04:00

In the middle of a time of travel, taxes and Spring Fever, I am afraid that my scraproom is being neglected. Thus, this blog is neglected, as well. I plan to resume my normal blogging activity by the end of this month. In the meantime, I wanted to share this weeks challenge from Sketches! {by tamara}

Supplies & tools: Crate Paper Zoom collection, LYB Generation Z Fabric Tags, LYB Generation Z Metal Gears, misc. ribbon, MME Abbey Road Brads, Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Tiny Attacher, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Honey Dew Mist, polished metal brads, Cricut Accent Essentials, Doodlebug Swimming Pool Loopy Lou Letters, misc. letters, yellow Souffle pen, assorted ink pads and CM pens for doodle borders.

One close-up: