Scrap Our Stash December 2016 Sketch + 3 Challenge #45 Reveal

Happy Holidays, everyone! Hope you've been able to enjoy all the loveliest of tidings this magical season has to offer. On that note, today's the day I reveal my most recent design for Scrap Our Stash's December 2016 Sketch + 3 Challenge #45. Brenda Ragsdale created this great sketch for us to work with:

And here's what I came up with:

A dear friend of mine went on a mission trip to an African country a few years back. One day, she was showing me some of the photos she brought back and I absolutely fell in love with this one. I asked her if I could scrap it for her. I know, no shame! But I swear, it was calling to me! When I first saw the provided sketch, I started looking through my photos to see if I could incorporate four photos onto one layout. But then, I saw this photo and one again, was immediately drawn to it. So, I decided to switch the sketch around a bit and layer the photo on top of four different patterned papers instead. And yes, this is my second SOS design using Fancy Pants' Good Fellows collection. I mean, the colors are just SO perfect for the photo, don't you think? I used pieces of both the 12X12 and 6X6 patterned papers, corrugated cardstock, a tag, ephemera bits and puffy design stickers from the collection. I also incorporated some Magic Mesh, Studio Calico wood veneer stars, Stampin' Up cardstock and vellum, The Paper Company vellum, Making Memories staples, Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze, and yes, of course, hand-stitching using a Bazzill Basics stitching template and some DMC floss. There's also a flair piece on there, but I can't remember for the life of me who manufactured that. Any ideas out there? Elle's Studio, maybe? ;) Oh! And my plus 3 items? Stars, flair and a tag. 

Hope you're inspired to scrap photos out of the ordinary for you! And if you upload your own layout inspired by this challenge over on the SOS blog, you'll get a chance to win some sweet, scrappy loot! For more information about this challenge, please hop along right over here.

Happy scrapping!

Scrap Our Stash December 2016 Book Inspired Stash Challenge #45 Reveal

Hello, everyone! It's December already! Holy schnitzels! ;) I'm making the most of it by scrapping away to my little heart's content. And maybe, just maybe, shopping for some of my own scrappy Christmas gifts! Hee!Hee! Today's my reveal day over at Scrap Our Stash for its December 2016 Book Inspired Stash Challenge #45. Here's the inspiration piece:

And here's what I came up with:

Very much inspired by the holiday feel to the inspiration piece, I opted to search my stash of Christmas photos from years past. I've always particularly loved this photo of our son, Louis-Olivier, taken five years ago during Christmastime, but I had yet to scrap it. Perfect! I then went "shopping" in my stash (as I and a dear scrappy friend call it!), and found My Mind's Eye's Christmas on Market Street collection, c. 2015. I hadn't even broken into it, yet! I've always loved the color palette in this collection and that 12X12 background piece reminded me of the green background on the inspiration piece so away I went. I positioned nine different 6X6 patterned pieces in a grid formation (from the MME collection, but also from Simple Stories' SN@P! Basics collection). I then stitched a snowflake using a template a made myself and some DMC floss and layered some Stampin' Up and The Paper Company vellum pieces beneath my photo. I then layered some of the MME collection's enamel dots, cardstock stickers and chipboard elements along with the title I made using a brand new Close to My Heart die (L-O-V-E!) on top of the grid. Can't forget those journalling strips made with some Stampin' Up cardstock. And how about thos swirvy borders on each vertical side of the layout? Love how they bring the focus straight to the photo. Kudos to the inspiration piece for that one! ;) And the stash challenge? As mentioned above, I used enamel dots and yes, one of the pieces of patterned paper is indeed striped.

SO very happy with how this layout turned out. Nothing complicated. Simple, yet totally complete. Hope it inspired you to dig through those older photos you love and get them scrapped using pieces in your stash you have yet to use. And if you upload your own layout inspired by this challenge over on the SOS blog, you'll get a chance to win some sweet, scrappy loot! For more information about this challenge, please hop along right over here.

Happy scrapping!