Scrap Our Stash July 2016 Sketch + 3 Challenge #40 Reveal

Hello, everyone! So excited to reveal my interpretation of Scrap Our Stash's Sketch #40 by Rochelle Spears. And what's fun about this monthly sketch challenge is that there's always a twist - to make sure to use one item from each list provided. See?

And here's my take:

Now, I dug deep into my stash for this layout... Any ideas where those products come from? Let's go back to 2009, when Crate Paper came out with this fun Christmas line. Remember? Yes! It's Crate Paper's North Pole collection!! I've been hoarding that collection since it first came out. Imagine! With that cute pic of my sweet daugther, Éloïse, it was the perfect time to use it, don't you think? Patterned papers, brads, rubons, die-cuts, chipboard pieces and sticker elements - the sky was the limit with this collection matched with Rochelle's sketch. Set on a a 12X12 piece of Close to My Heart cardstock, I also used some Prima and October Afternoon alphas as well as some Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze. And that stitched title? I used an old Bazzill Basics alpha stitching template along with some good ol' DMC floss - two strands instead of my usual single strand hand-stitching. Oh! And what elements did I use from the three lists? A Maya Road star stick pin, Stampin' Up baker's twine and journalling using a Uniball Pen.

Hope you're inspired to start using those collections and items you've had in your scrappy stash for the longest time. 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!

Stuck?! Sketches: July 15th 2016 Sketch and Reveal

Hello, everyone! It's reveal day over at Stuck?! Sketches! Here's the brand new Laura Whitaker sketch just for you:

And here's my interpretation:

Once again, I turned to my Basic Grey stash for this layout - the Persimmon collection to be exact. And tons of it, too - patterned papers (both 12X12 and 6X6), mixed brads, label stickers, die-cut shapes, and alphas. I also added Echo Park stickers, a Maya Road metal camera embellishments, Studio Calico wood veneer shapes, American Craft cork alphas, Stampin' Up cardstock, Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze, and hand-stitching using a Bazzill Basics stitching template and some DMC floss. Photos by Philippe Dumas.

Want to see what the other design team members came up with? Hop along right over here and be prepared to be inspired! And when you link your own design based on today's sketch over on the Stuck? Sketches blog, you'll get the chance to win some fabulous scrappy loot from these amazing sponsors: DCWV and Creative Embellisments. YAY!

Happy scrapping!

Scrap Our Stash July 2016 Book Inspired Stash Challenge #40 Reveal

Hello, everyone! I'm SO excited to share my very first Scrap Our Stash (SOS) reveal with you all!! Today, I get to share my take on SOS' July 2016 Book Inspired Stash Challenge. Here it is:

And here's my take on it:

As soon as I saw this book cover challenge, my eye was immediately drawn to one thing - the color scheme. It brought me way back to my early days of scrapbooking and to a specific Basic Grey collection, Kioshi (c. 2009). Remember that one? ;) And for me, playing with at least 5 different patterned papers was right up my alley. Layering is actually one of my favorite scrappy things to do! How many pieces do I have on this layout? Let me count for you... 1, 2, 3... Wowzers! A whole whopping NINE!! I not only coordinated the Basic Grey patterned papers, but I also added a few other pieces by My Mind's Eye and Ruby Rock-It. And that piece of ruled paper? I've had that in my stash from my very first years of scrapbooking, but I have no idea who manufactured it. Would L-O-V-E to find some more, though... Hee!Hee! ;) What else did I add on my layout? A Stampin' Up corduroy button (my round embellishment for this challenge!), puffy stickers and alphas from Basic Grey's Kioshi collection, title elements by Jillibean Soup (I lightly painted that one with some Shimmerz Dazzlerz) and American Crafts, a heart-shaped wood veneer piece by Studio Calico, Making Memory staples, ink splats using Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze, and good ol' fashioned hand-stitching using a Bazzill Basic stitching template and some DMC floss. And finally, I couldn't help but adding the title of the book as part of my journalling for my sweet girl - "Oh, the places you'll go!" Indeed.

Hope I inspired you to dig deep in your stashes to finds some true treasures to use for this challenge. Head over to SOS' blog for tons more inspiration for this awesome challenge. 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 layout, please hop along right over here.

Happy scrapping!

Stuck?! Sketches: July 1st 2016 Sketch and Reveal

Hello, hello! And for all my Canadian scrappy peeps, Happy Canada Day! Stuck?! Sketches is making this extra special with a brand new sketch by the fabulous Laura Whitaker (who just happens to be celebrating another very important day herself - Happy Birthday, Laura!). Here it is:

And here's my take on it:

I've been in a major Basic Grey fog ever since they announced that they were closing their scrapbooking department. Not that I want to use up all my stuff - quite the contrary. I think I want to hold on to it for as long as I can. But I have SO much Basic Grey on hand. I want to celebrate it! So for this layout, I did just that. I present to you, the Basic Grey Barista collection. I used some of its 12X12 and 6X6 patterned papers, chipboard and sticker alphas, and sticker elements. I also added a Maya Road metal paper clip, some Heidi Swapp gold stickers, Stampin' Up vellum, a Freckled Fawn wood veneer word arrow, a few pieces of Magic Mesh, My Mind's Eye enamel dots, Making Memories staples, stamping with some Prima stamps (I L-O-V-E that set!), stitching using a Crafter's Workshop stitching template and some DMC floss, as well as some random corrugated pieces from regular boxes I found around the house. Photo by Philippe Dumas. Oh! And I had a blast making those rolled flowers! Blast from the past!! ;)

Want to see what the other design team members came up with? Hop along right over here and be prepared to be inspired! And when you link your own design based on today's sketch over on the Stuck? Sketches blog, you'll get the chance to win some fabulous scrappy loot from these amazing sponsors: Wycinanka and DCWV. YAY!

Happy scrapping!

Stuck?! Sketches: June 15th 2016 Sketch and Reveal

Hello, hello! It's reveal day over at Stuck?! Sketches! And Laura Whitaker has done it again by creating a sketch super fun to work with. Here's the sketch:

And here's what I created with it:

Used TONS of Simple Stories' on this one. As soon as I saw the SN@P! Cat collection, I knew I wanted to scrap photos of our dear cat, Caillou. The background piece, photo mat and strips are from the Simple Stories' We Are... Family Simple Basics Kit. The colors match the cat collection perfectly! I then layered odds and ends of the SN@P! Cat collection's insta squares and pieces, stickers, and 3X4 cards. I also added a Maya Road cat clip (C-U-T-E!), a Studio Calico wood veneer piece, a strip of Stampin' Up cardstock for my journaling, a torn piece of corrugated paper from a random box I had at home, and some stitching using a Close-to-My-Heart stitching template with some DMC floss. I also stapled a metal arrow embellishment from my sister's stash (thanks, Ginette!) using the Tim Holtz mini stapler. However, I have no idea who made that arrow! But it's oh, so perfect for this layout - it reminds me of a fishbone! Photo by Philippe Dumas. This layout is now hanging in our living room. Love it!

Want to see what the other design team members came up with? Hop along right over here and be prepared to be inspired! And when you link your own design based on today's sketch over on the Stuck? Sketches blog, you'll get the chance to win some fabulous scrappy loot from these amazing sponsors: Evalicious and Scrapmatts. YAY!

Happy scrapping!

Stuck?! Sketches: June 1st 2016 Sketch and Reveal

WOW! Another month come and gone! It's JUNE! I really love this month as it's full of celebrations! Why not start celebrating right now with a brand new Laura Whitaker sketch revealed this morning over at Stuck?! Sketches? Here it is:

And here's my take on it:

Here we have a dear friend of ours with his eldest daughter after an impromptu make-up session. Just love how it turned out à la football (hence, the title!). Used TONS of Basic Grey's Aurora collection on this layout - patterned papers, alphas, stickers, chipboard, a pocket and a flair. Set on a piece patterned paper from Basic Grey What's Up collection, I also used some Shimmerz Dazzlerz with a Heidi Swapp stencil/mask, and added some American Crafts alphas, Prima flowes, May Arts ribbon, Stampin' Up cardstock (and scallop boarder punch!), and stiching using a Crafter's Workshop template and some DMC floss.

Want to see what the other design team members came up with? Hop along right over here and be prepared to be inspired! And when you link your own design based on today's sketch over on the Stuck? Sketches blog, you'll get the chance to win some fabulous scrappy loot from these amazing sponsors: A2Z Scraplets and ScrapMuch?. YAY!

Happy scrapping!

Stuck?! Sketches: May 15th 2016 Sketch and Reveal

Hello, everyone! Here we are at the May mid-month mark already. WOW! But happily, that means that it's time for another Stuck?! Sketches reveal and a new Laura Whitaker sketch. YAY! Here is the sketch:

L-O-V-E  that sketch!! Isn't it amazing? And here's what I created with it:

I had to work quite a bit to find a collection that matched the color of the hat Éloïse was wearing in that photo. Now, usually, when that happens, I would have opted to use a black and white version of the pic, but I R-E-A-L-L-Y wanted to use that photograph in color. I don't know. It just makes the exuberance of the memory that more exciting - the first time she sat in the stroller to go pick-up her brother at the bus stop without clipping the car seat onto the stroller!

I found all the pinkiest collections I had in my stash. Never imagined that there were so many shades of pink to choose from! ;) But as soon as I lay the photo onto My Mind's Eye's Cut & Paste-Adorbs collection, I knew I had found the match. I used 12X12 and 6X6 patterned papers, a button, as well as layered stickers from that collection. I also added pieces of Fancy Pants, Echo Park, and Basic Grey patterned papers. There's also part of a Jillibean Soup Placemat, Stampin' Up cardstock, alphas by My Mind's Eye and Basic Grey, a Heidi Swapp wood veneer title piece, random baker's twine and a button from my stash, and hand-stitching using a Bazzill Basics stitching template and DMC floss. But my favorite elements of this layout have to be those three Studio Calico transparent butterflies on there... Do you see them? Those are actually masks I've had in my stash since, get this, 2011. And no, I've never used them as they are intended. Not even once. I figured since I've never used them as masks that I was better off using them as embellishments! ;)

And there you have it! Want to see what the other design team members came up with? Hop along right over here and be prepared to be inspired! And when you link your own design based on today's sketch over on the Stuck? Sketches blog, you'll get the chance to win some fabulous scrappy loot from these amazing sponsors: Evalicious and Creative Embellishments. YAY!

Happy scrapping!