fantabulous

I didn't get a chance to share this yet, but I was selected as a designer for The Studio Challenges blog earlier this month. :) I am so excited to be a part of this great team and today I am sharing my first layout. 

The October 23rd challenge is a Tic TacToe board; choose any line and include those items in a layout.

I selected the top row across for my layout. 

the fabulous cut file is Make A Wreath created by Juliana at 17turtles. I used a wood grain based paper to cut this and filled in the leaves with scraps of patterned paper and washi tape. 

a little nest of sorts was made of twine around this cute flair button, I also added twine around the wreath for added dimension and detail. Some drops of gold, sheer, and cork colored mists were added for a little shimmer and interest. 

supplies:

woodgrain pp: Simple Stories, other pp: My Mind's Eye

washi tape

button twine: Papertrey Ink

enamel dots: Simple Stories

mists: gold (Bo Bunny), Sheer (Heidi Swapp), and cork (Tattered Angels)

cut file: 17turtles

wood piece: AC

flair: October Afternoon

We would love to see your layout created for this challenge. Please check it out on The Studio Challenges blog. You will also be inspired by the gorgeous work from the team! :)

pretty

My step-daughter Meghan, who I consider my daughter, came home to visit us for a week in August in between duty stations. I took the opportunity to get some photos, since it's been  two years since we saw her last, and we are not sure when the next time will be. 

This layout was created for The Memory Nest Make it Monday No. 74 sketch which is live today. Meghan looked so pretty in her lovely floral print dress and this is one of my favorite photos from that day. 

I added the triangle on top just because I felt that this layout was too plain without it. 

supplies:

pp: Crate Paper

doily

twine

spray mist

enamel dots: Simple Stories

Head on over to The Memory Nest blog to see the great sketch and awesome work from the team! 

Happy Birthday

It's time for the mid-month sketch release at Stuck?! Sketches. This one stumped me a bit as I generally scrap larger photos, but I challenged myself to use all four areas for photos and I managed to do so with minimum difficulty. 

For all y'all who print smaller photos at home, what do you use? My printer will only print 4x6 as the smallest size. 

My Kara Rae will be 26 in a few days, and these photos are from her 3rd birthday. Where did the years go?! I used two of the Doilies cut files from JustNick under the photos and the Happy Birthday cut file from Juliana at 17turtles. 

I pulled the colors from her cake and used a bold background to draw the eye to the photos. 

(and the date has been added- I goofed on the year and forgot to write the correct year in before photographing)

pp and chipboard: Crate Paper

mini doilies: Amy Tangerine

enamel dots: Michael's

twine: Trendy Twine

tag, cardstock, and vellum

This is the awesome October 15th sketch:

It's mid month already and that always means it is time for a new sketch challenge! But first let's chat about the sponsors for this challenge.

A big thank you goes out to 7 Dots Studio, for sponsoring this challenge, they are offering a $20.00 gift certificate to their online store to one lucky participant!

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7 Dots Studio was born from dreams and for dreams. We are a European scrapbooking company. Quality of our products is our top priority. Our collections are created by very talented artists - from clean, graphic designs to mixed-media, grungy collage look. But what you can always be sure are high quality and thickness of our papers, which make them work perfectly with all kinds of media. Among our products you will find scrapbooking papers, alpha stickers, die-cut elements, collage sheets, 6x6 paper pads, element stickers and tags. We are amazingly happy and feel very blessed to see that so many crafters and artists love our designs! Please visit our blog to see awesome inspirations from our design team and our facebook profile or flickr gallery to share your projects.

AND thank you to ScrapMatts, who are also sponsoring this challenge, offering 2 large pieces of chipboard to a second lucky participant!

 ScrapMatts is a place to learn, share ideas and view some great design concepts, while offering Australian Made, Laser Cut Chipboard, original shapes and designs, made to compliment your scrapbooking pages or your card making projects

Head on over to the Stuck?! Sketches blog to see the fabulous work from the team as well as for your chance to play along with the sketch as well as have the opportunity to win a great prize! 

the witching hour

Mood boards are a fabulous inspirational piece to stretch and expand your creativity. I will admit that in the past, they were intimidating and daunting, but once I tried one for the first PT challenge I discovered they weren't so bad after all. That being said, the new October 15th challenge for Picture This! is to create a layout inspired by a Halloween Colors mood board. 

I used the Compressed Chevron Background cut file from JustNick which I cut from white cardstock and layered onto black. I then added several colors of spray mists as well as some old chipboard banner pieces I had, which were perfect for the colors of the mood board. 

I was most inspired by the chevrons, orange, white, and black. 

Hop on over to the Picture This! challenge blog to see the fantastic work that the team created as well as submit your layout. Just remember, your layout doesn't have to follow a Halloween theme, you can use the colors and photos to create a layout for any occasion. 

WCMD round four- the last of them

Here are the last of the cards I created for the World Card Making Day challenges hosted by Clique Kits on their facebook group. I got through most of the challenges and it was the perfect therapy for this tired momma. lol 

This challenge was to create three cards using one sheet of cardstock. I also used the sketch as inspiration for each. 

thanks so much for stopping by! Have a blessed week! 

WCMD cards round three

Hi again!  Here are three more cards that I created this week using some World Card Making Day challenges hosted by Clique Kits on their facebook group. I had a lot of fun trying new things and love the end result of each of these!

to see the remaining cards, please come back tomorrow. :)

WCMD cards round two

Hello! I am back again today sharing three more cards that I created this week using some World Card Making Day challenges hosted by Clique Kits on their facebook group.

both of these cards feature the new gorgeous Simple Stories Hello Fall collection. 

As for this next card, I am sharing it because I put some work into it, but I generally dislike it. I think it's the colors, because I am OK with everything else, but the purple just doesn't work for me and I wasn't about the change it. I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something different, so yay for that. Some things are just going to make you shrug your shoulders, call it good, and walk away. 

Tomorrow I will share a few more cards. Thanks again for stopping by! 

WCMD cards round one

While Ashlyn has been recovering and pretty much sleeping most of the day on the living room sofa, I have been able to play along with the World Card Making Day challenges hosted by Clique Kits on their facebook group. I have been toying with a kit subscription for a few months and have decided to give Clique Kits a go. My first month is October and I am anxiously awaiting for it to arrive. 

Yesterday I made 5 cards, but I will share three today, so they can be spread out a bit. ;)

both of these cards feature the fabulous Posh Collection from Simple Stories. 

and here is one using Crate Paper:

the cut files are from Clique Kits. 

After being in the hospital with Ashlyn for 6 days, it sure feels good to play with paper. :) I'll be back over the next few days sharing the remainder of the cards I created- there are 12 in total. 

so happy

I dug deep into my paper stash and photos to complete this fun layout based on the newest sketch from The Memory Nest, Make it Monday No. 73.

*I just realized that I forgot to add the journaling on this layout. This is Ashlyn back in 2003. ;)

supplies:

pp and stickers: Simple Stories

enamel dots: I made from Perler beads

twine: Papertrey Ink

Go check out the super sketch and work from the team by clicking here. 

sweet together

I am excited to share my first official layout as part of the Stuck?! Sketches team!

Skylar was home for a month in May in between duty stations and I was able to get a few great photos of her and Ashlyn, who have an extra special sisterly bond. It was near 115' with humidity when we went out for this photo shoot, and it was miserable. It was hard to get "awesome" photos as the girls were melting and not having a super time, but I adore the "good" ones. lol 

I wanted this layout to be soft and pretty, but bold and colorful- just like these sweet girls. <3 p="">

I used the super fun String Art Circle LWD cut file from Laura Whitaker underneath both photos and filled them in with random bits of paper. I almost hated to cover any portion of them up. 

Here is the October 1st sketch: 

And there are two fantastic sponsors this month who are offering some generous prizes. 

May Arts Ribbon https://www.ribbonresource.com/  Prize = $25.00 gift certificate to their online store.

and 

Heartfelt Creations www.heartfeltcreations.us  Prize = $25.00 gift certificate to their online store.

Head on over to the Stuck?! Sketches blog for your chance to play along with the sketch as well as have the opportunity to win a great prize! 

selfie smile

The first October challenge is up on the Picture This! challenge blog and it's a fun one! The challenge is to use layers + fussy cutting + one photo. 

I used the August 15th sketch from Stuck?! Sketches as my inspiration. 

I started with a stencil and modeling paste, which I kept bare. I added some mist drops in gold, pink, and cork. I then added several layers of paper and fussy cut flowers. The twine adds some additional texture and dimension. 

supplies:

pp: Fancy Pants and Simple Stories

stickers: Simple Stories

flair: Fancy Pants

mists: Shimmerz. Tattered Angels, and Bo Bunny

ephemera pieces: Cocoa Vanilla

button twine: Papertrey Ink

smile: Heidi Swapp

enamel dots and stencil: Michael's

liquitex modeling paste