Sunday, March 17, 2024

Love Notes - Sketch N Scrap #293

 Hello, hello! Happy Sunday and Happy St. Patty's Day to you! I hope you are having a good weekend. 

Today I am sharing the layout that I created using Sketch N Scrap's March 15th sketch - designed by me! Here is a look at the sketch:


And here is my layout:


I just recently purchased the Love Notes collection from Echo Park and couldn't wait to put it to use. I love the pink/red/light blue color combo in this collection, and there are only a few papers that are heavy on the love/Valentine's Day theme - the majority can be used for anything. Anyway, this collection was perfect for these photos of the most recent love notes that Ada has left for me on my desk in my craft room. These little notes always bring a smile to my face - no matter what kind of day I am having!

Here are a few close-ups:


I die-cut a few different-sized hearts for this cluster base. I picked a few stickers all related to "notes" to use on this layout. I inked the edges of all of my papers, since the majority of them were on the lighter side, to help them stand out against the white background. 


For my title, I used the Lawn Fawn Henry's ABC metal dies and then inked around the edges. I tore my cardstock background in three places and added the red heart pattern paper behind it. I always like the effect of this but hardly ever remember to do it.


One of my goals this year is to stamp on my projects - even if it is just one stamp. I pulled out my roller stamps and stamped the XOXO in each of the clusters. I really love the look that adding a stamp gives to my layouts.

Head on over to Sketch N Scrap to see the sketch and the lovely layouts from the design team. I would love to see your take on the sketch, too!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Hello Sunshine - A Layout and a Card For Sketch N Scrap

Hello, everyone! Happy Thursday to you! It is almost the weekend and I am ready for it! We are finally getting some much-needed rain today, and I thought it was a good time to get a couple of projects posted that I have made this month. 

First up is the layout that I made using the March 1st sketch from Sketch N Scrap. Here is a look at the sketch:


And here is my layout:


For this layout, I finally got around to using the Cocoa Vanilla Happy Days mini-kit that I put together for my January kit for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash! It just took me two months, but I finally used some of it! 

These pictures are of Ada from two years ago. I love that Google Photos will send you notifications like - "two years ago today" or "similar shots" - sometimes it reminds me of photos that I had forgotten about. That was the case with these photos, and, my goodness, how things have changed in two years for this girl! That may be a whole different layout - a comparison of then and now. Like, she no longer likes to have pictures or words on her shirts - with only a few exceptions. She likes mostly just plain, solid-colored shirts now. She used to wear those Ugg-like boots in the wintertime - now it's all about Vans and Converse. She is definitely finding her own style!

Here are a couple of close-ups:


I had to pull in some black alphas to stand out against the background. The ones included in my kit were white with a black outline and they just got lost on the white background.


I didn't do too much in the way of embellishing. Having so many patterns on this layout makes it a bit busy for me and I didn't want it feeling even more busy and cluttered with a bunch of embellishments. 


I was a bit limited with the puffy sticker shapes but went with what I had. I could have pulled in enamel dots but I really just wanted to stick with what was in my kit.

Next up is the card that I made using the March 5th card sketch from Sketch N Scrap. Here is a look at the sketch:


And here is my card:


Easter is just around the corner and I wanted to make an Easter card to send to someone special. For this card, I use Simple Stories' Hip Hop Hooray 6x8 paper pad and die cuts. I couldn't find a "Happy Easter" sentiment in my stamps so I found I font I liked on the computer and printed it off onto a label. 

I love the rounded edges on the top layer on the sketch. I really need to remember to round the corners on both my cards and my layouts a little more often. It just adds a bit of interest and breaks up all of the sharp edges.

That is it for today! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

Friday, March 1, 2024

Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash March Kit Reveal


Hello, everyone! Happy Friday and Happy March 1st! Yay for March - the month when there seem to be more warm days than cold! Since it is the first day of a new month, that means I have a new kit to share for Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash!

Before I get to my kit, I will let you know that I was not successful in using my February kit, but I did use up a bit more of my January kit! I am keeping my fingers crossed that you will see me using my March kit this month and maybe I'll even be able to dive into my February kit and see if I can't get something made with it.

If you don't knowhat this challenge is, here is a little about it:

 On the 1st of each month, we will post a challenge prompt and the stash kit we have created using that prompt. During the month we will try to use as much of our stash kit as possible on different projects. 
This will be a just-for-fun challenge so there is no monthly prize - but isn't the real prize using up our stash?  We hope you will join us in our quest to bash our stash! If you play along - link up on either my blog or Lisa's blog (or both if you choose) so that we can see who is joining us each month.

Here is the recipe for March:


To create your kit, pull 10 papers, 3-4 embellishments, 5-7 scrap papers. Our focus item for March is ephemera!

Here is my kit for March:


February was an unseasonably warm month for us and that has me feeling all of the spring vibes, and I think my kit reflects that! Let's take a close look.

Here are my papers:


I have a mix of papers from Echo Park's New Day collection and the Day in the Life collection. I am lovin' the color palette from these two collections and they work really well with each other. I included four cut-apart papers because I am determined to work on my Project Life albums more this year. I have been doing pretty decent with keeping (somewhat) up so far with this year. Now, if I can just get fast enough to not only work on the current stuff but maybe throw in a previous year or two along the way. That would make me really happy! So, you can expect to see more of those cut-apart papers in my kits this year.

Here are the cut-apart papers from New Day. I have included them, too:


Here are the embellishments:


I have included the 12x12 sticker sheets and enamel dots from both collections, the ephemera packs and sticker book, and puffy stickers from New Day, a few random enamel shapes and puffy dots, two packs of wood veneer - a set from Elles Studio and a pack from Recollections - and a pack of cork pieces from Elles Studio.

Here are the scraps that I pulled:


I pulled a few more than the 5-7 scraps, but a lot of them are pretty small pieces and I thought they might be good to punch out shapes or to use my metal dies with.

Our focus piece for March is ephemera, so along with the ephemera from the collections, I pulled this:


I have pulled a couple of packs of ephemera pieces that were in my bashket last year and one of my boxes of Vicki Boutin ephemera. It is overflowing and I can just barely get it to close! I think there are either five or six packs of ephemera in there! I think I bought a few packs from Tuesday Morning before they closed and then I found a deal from Peachy Cheap a while back that was all Vicki Boutin ephemera packs, so it added up pretty quickly. There are a lot of pieces that color match really well with my kit. Even if I only use a few pieces I will be happy with that. I least I got them out and familiarized myself with what is in the box.

One of my goals this year is to use my stamps more, so here are a few stamps that I pulled to use this month:


I have pulled a variety of spring-themed stamps and everyday-type stamps for this month. I am hoping to put a few of these to use this month.

That is it! I can't wait to dive in and create with my kit! My plan is to mostly use this kit on my PL layouts and for my traveler's notebook layouts, but we will see, a 12x12 layout may be with made it! Be sure to stop by Lisa's blog - My Creative Endeavors - to see the beautiful kit that she has put together. I always love to see her kits!

Don't forget - this is a just-for-fun challenge, but if you do play along and put together your own stash bash kit - add it to the linky below and we will be sure to check it out and cheer you on! Here are the rules:

1. Follow the challenge prompt to create a kit to work with throughout the month. You may use other items, but please concentrate on using your kit, and link it below.
2. Create new, not previously posted projects using your stash kit.
3. If you have a blog - please include the challenge graphic and a link to our challenge in your posts. 
4. You may link to social media if you don't have a blog. If you share on Instagram, please make sure to use - #lisaandlorisgreatstashbash2024

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Snowy Walk - Sketch N Scrap #191

Hello, hello! Happy Saturday to you! I hope that your weekend is off to a good start. It's back to feeling like winter today, but spring-like temps will be returning tomorrow and will stick around for most of next week. These warmer temperatures have really spoiled us here lately because today has seemed super cold again!

Today I am sharing the layout that I made using the February 15th sketch at Sketch N Scrap. Here is a look at the sketch that I created for us to use:


And here is my layout:


We had a little bit of snow last Monday. We weren't even supposed to get more than a dusting to an inch of snow, but we wound up with about four inches. It was that really pretty - wet and heavy - snow that sticks to everything. The temps were right around thirty degrees, so the pups and I headed out on a walk to enjoy the beauty of it all. They came back to the house with tons of little snowballs in their fur, but we all enjoyed our walk immensely.

For this layout, I used Echo Park's I Love Winter (2016) collection. The colors were perfect to document this snowy day. Here are a few close-ups:


I added ink splatter by way of a stamp from Close To My Heart - Ink Blot (D1660) and Blue Belle ink. I love how much control this stamp gives me. The title was made with Lawn Fawn's Henry ABC metal dies. These dies are a new addition to my supplies and I love them already!


For the snowflakes, I used a snowflake punch from EK Success (for the large flakes) and an old snowflake punch from Marvy Uchida for the tiny flakes. I added a clear gem to the center of each snowflake on my layout. 


I added my date to a label from Elle's Studio and a phrase sticker from the I Love Winter collection between my photos to help connect them.

Be sure to check out the Sketch N Scrap blog and the Sketch N Scrap Facebook page for more inspiration using this month's sketches. 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Happy Valentine's Day - Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #259

Hello, everyone! Happy Valentine's Day to you! I hope that you are having a good week. 

Today I am sharing the card that I created using Sketch N Scrap's February 5th card sketch. Lisa has created a great sketch for us to work with, and you know it's going into my favorites file to be used later! Here's a look at the sketch:




Since today is Valentine's Day, you know I had to go with a Valentine's Day card!

I actually pulled out my stencils and inks and played a bit for this card. I used the Oh My Heart stencil from Simple Stories and Bamboo ink from Close to My Heart to create the background, and I loved playing around with it. I am really going to try to incorporate stenciling into more of my projects!

I also used Echo Park's Hello Valentine collection for the rest of the card. Even with the stenciling, this card came together very quickly and now it is all ready to give to one of my Valentine's today!

Head on over to the Sketch N Scrap blog or the Sketch N Scrap Facebook page for more inspiration using our sketches.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash February 2024 Kit Challenge


Hello, everyone! Happy February 1st! The new month means a new Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash kit challenge. If you don't know what this challenge is, here is a little about it:

 On the 1st of each month, we will post a challenge prompt and the stash kit we have created using that prompt. During the month we will try to use as much of our stash kit as possible on different projects. 


This will be a just-for-fun challenge so there is no monthly prize - but isn't the real prize using up our stash?  We hope you will join us in our quest to bash our stash! If you play along - link up on either my blog or Lisa's blog (or both if you choose) so that we can see who is joining us each month. 

Here is the recipe for February:


To create your kit, pull 10 papers, 3-4 embellishments, 5-7 scrap papers. Our focus item for February is doilies!

I generally try to pre-plan a bit before I pull my kit for the month - pick out photos I want to use or at least have an idea of what I want to scrap. The end of January was way too busy for me to get that done, so I am flying by the seat of my pants this month!

Here is my kit for February:


Lots and lots of Elle's Studio goodies! I was going through some of my older collections and came across my Elle's Studio section. I don't have very many 12x12 papers left from Elle's Studio, so I decided to pull 10 for my kit this month, and I pulled out all of the chipboard and puffy stickers that I have from them and created my kit.

Here is a look at the papers:


So many fun papers here! I tried to pull a variety, and I kept in mind that I wanted to make a few layouts in my traveler's notebooks as well as a couple of 12x12 layouts. These papers are from the Family Fun (2017) collection, Live, Laugh, Love (2017) collection, and the Noteworthy (2018) collection.

Since I like both sides of all of these papers and will probably use both sides if at all possible, here is a look at the "B" sides:


Here is a look at the embellishments:


Wowzers, I had no idea I had that many packages of Elle's Studio stickers that have barely even been touched! I pulled almost everything that I have because I have no idea what I will be in the mood to scrap this month!

I also added in a few wood veneer pieces, enamel shapes, and a stamp set that I would like to use this month. 


And I pulled a few things from last year's bashket for a little more variety.


I pulled out these cut-apart papers to maybe do a little fussy cutting (text papers) and use the other paper for journaling or in my Project Life album.

Here are the scraps:


I had a 12x12 page protector full of these scraps, so they are going into my kit and we will see if I can use some of them up.

Our focus item this month is doilies and here is what I have pulled:


I just found two colored doilies in my stash, but I have a lot of the 3.5 and 4.5 inch white doilies. I pulled a pretty good stack of each of those and I thought I might play around with adding some color to a few of them. I also have a few metal dies that are doilies, so I will be pulling those and hope to try a couple out this month. 

That is my kit for February! I didn't do great with my January kit. I didn't even touch the Cocoa Vanilla kit that I put together, so I am pulling it into February to see if I can make at least one layout with it:


I really want to play with these pretty papers and embellishments! I just need to make time to get it done!

That is it! Be sure to check out Lisa's blog to see the beautiful kit that she has put together and remember - - 

This is a just-for-fun challenge, but if you do play along and put together your own stash bash kit - add it to the linky below and we will be sure to check it out and cheer you on! Here are the rules:

1. Follow the challenge prompt to create a kit to work with throughout the month. You may use other items, but please concentrate on using your kit, and link it below.
2. Create new, not previously posted projects using your stash kit.
3. If you have a blog - please include the challenge graphic and a link to our challenge in your posts. 
4. You may link to social media if you don't have a blog. If you share on Instagram, please make sure to use - #lisaandlorisgreatstashbash2024

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Monday, January 22, 2024

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #258

 Hello, hello! Happy Monday to you! I hope your week is off to a good start. Ours is starting out as a day off for everyone, thanks to freezing rain and slick roads. The temperatures are starting to creep to above freezing and it's starting to melt. I am so thankful that it didn't get any worse!

Today I am sharing the card that I created using the January 20th card sketch from Sketch N Scrap. Here is a look at my sketch:



I created this card using scraps from my last project that I shared here. I thought they would be perfect for a love/Valentine's Day card. The sentiment is a sticker from the Simple Stories Happy Hearts collection. I added a couple of white puffy heart stickers that have been out on my desk for a while.

This card came together so quickly and I love that I used things that were already out on my desk!

Be sure to stop by Sketch N Scrap for more inspiration for this month's sketches. 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! Have a great day!

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

You're So Cool - Sketch N Scrap's January Monthly Challenge #5

Hello, everyone! Happy Wednesday to you! I hope you are having a good week so far. The temperature is warming up today - we have hit 33 degrees! That's feeling downright warm after spending the last few days right around 0 with the wind chill in the negative 20s!

Did you know that Sketch N Scrap is offering up a smaller format sketch starting this month? It has been posted over in the Sketch N Scrap's Monthly Challenges Facebook group as Challenge #5. Lisa has created a great 6x8 double-page sketch to kick things off. Don't let the smaller size scare you! You can adapt it to any size that you would like.  Today I am sharing a traveler's notebook layout that I created using the left side of the sketch.

Here is a look at the sketch:


And here is my layout:


I used the left side of the sketch and added an extra photo and a place for my journaling. Other than that I kept to the sketch. 

The blue dot paper is one that I had included in my 100-patterned paper pile for this year. There is no information on the back and no manufacturer strip, and it is very lightweight, which means it's either from the early 2000s or from Hobby Lobby. I used less than half of it, so I won't count it as being used until I can use a little bit more of it - maybe on a card. The background paper is from the American Crafts Ready Set Go collection from 2012 and the heart paper is from Pink Paislee's Pen Pals collection and both were in my scraps. It feels so good to use up some of these older papers in my stash!

Here are a couple of close-ups:




The title is from Cocoa Vanilla's No Limits collection and the stars are from Pretty Little Studio's Savannah Dreams collection. The sunglasses are from an Echo Park summer collection... I can't remember which one I pulled them from, and the camera and red circle label are stamps from Elle's Studio Here & Now stamp set.

I am so happy that I used so many manufacturers on this layout! If this isn't using up my stash, I don't know what is!

The photos are of Miss Ada showing off her new sunglasses. She found them at Target on our last girl's day shopping trip right after Christmas and spent some of her Christmas money on them. She's showing glimpses of the soon-to-be teenager that she will be before we know it. 

Here it is in the traveler's notebook:


It has been a while since I made a traveler's notebook layout and I have missed it! I am so happy to be back working in them again.

Be sure to check out the new smaller format sketch at Sketch N Scrap's Monthly Challenges Facebook group. We would love to see how you interpret the sketch!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

Sunday, January 14, 2024

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #257

 Hello, everyone! Happy Sunday to you! I hope you are having a good weekend and if it is cold where you are - I hope you are staying warm! We are currently sitting at -2 degrees, which is really cold for us, and we have a chance of snow this afternoon. Our high for today is 4. Yikes! What a good day to stay in and get creative!

Today I am sharing the card that I created using Sketch N Scrap's January 5th sketch. Here is a look at the fun sketch that Lisa has created for us:



For my card, I used one of the 6x6 paper pads that I included in my Lisa & Lori's Great Stash Bash kit for January. It is the Amy Tangerine Plus One paper pad from 2013. Gosh, I wish I had another one of these paper pads in my stash! I love all the papers that are in it.

I opted to change things up a bit from the sketch because I wanted to feature that pretty floral paper. I added my sentiment in place of the embellishment and I love how this one turned out!

The hello is from a metal die word set that has been lying loose on my desk for months now. It was the perfect size for what I wanted. I also added a few puffy dots around the sentiment area.

Be sure to check out the Sketch N Scrap blog and the Sketch N Scrap Facebook page for more inspiration for this month's sketches. I would love to see what you create, too!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

Thursday, January 4, 2024

Flurry Friend - Sketch N Scrap #288

Hello, hello! Happy Thursday to you! Here we are at the 4th of the month and I am getting my second post up! I am hoping I can get back to posting more often here on my blog this year.

Today I am up on the Sketch N Scrap Facebook page sharing the layout that I made using Sketch and Scrap's January 1st sketch. Here is a look at the sketch, in case you haven't seen it yet:


Isn't that a fun sketch?! Here is my layout:


On the 29th of December, we got a little bit of snow, just barely enough to cover the ground, but it was a nice wet snow and perfect for building a snowman. The first thing Ada did when she woke up was to meet Pops outside to play in it! They built a snowman, that they named Bernard, and took the sled out for a few runs down our little hill. There wasn't a lot of snow but they sure made the most of it. I loved it when Ada said, "Winter in the country is so much fun!" If the weatherman is right, we might be seeing more snow the first of next week. I am looking forward to more days filled with building snowmen, having snowball fights, sledding, and finishing it off with a cup of hot cocoa!

For this layout, I used my winter-themed mini-kit from my stash bash kit. I also used a piece of paper (the dark blue background) from my 100 Patterned Paper Challenge pile. (I'll be going into more detail about that in another post.) I managed to cut into three of the papers from my kit, and I even remembered to use a scrap on this layout! 

Here are a few close-ups:


I stuck really close to the sketch, only adding a tag to the top - mostly because I wanted to bring more red into the top of the layout. I had thought about journaling on it but decided to just add my journaling under the photos. The red puffy heart and blue puffy dot were part of the extra embellishments from last year's bashket that I added to this month's kit. 


I added foam tape to the snowman and 'stay frosty' die-cut to add a little dimension. Another stamped phrase, puffy heart, puffy dot, and snowflake stickers finished out the cluster. 


Instead of my usual black ink, I printed my journaling out in navy blue. Trying to mix things up a bit more this year, and it's just fun to use a color sometimes for your journaling. Just like using a colored pen instead of always using blue or black!

Be sure to check out the Sketch N Scrap blog and the Sketch N Scrap Facebook page for more inspiration using this sketch. I hope you find some time to play along!

And just for fun - here's a photo of me and Finnegan. He was being overly dramatic because I dropped my phone on the floor right next to him. Don't tell him, but he is kind of a big weenie!


Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! Have a great day!