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!

Scrap Our Stash November 2016 Sketch + 3 Challenge #44 Reveal

Hello, hello! It's my turn to reveal my design for Scrap Our Stash's November 2016 Sketch + 3 Challenge #44. This month's sketch was created by Rochelle Spears:

And here's my design:

I'll admit it. I've been known to buy a collection or two or... twenty?;)... just because I find them absolutely beautiful. However, when it comes time to work with them, I get stuck. 'Tis was the case with My Mind' Eye's Stella & Rose - Hattie collection, c. 2011. Yes, that's right. It's been sitting in my stash for five years now, just waiting to be chosen for a project. Yes, I lifted layouts I had found on the internet when it first came out, but I had yet to use it predominantly on a layout of my own. But not anymore! So happy with how this layout turned out. Layered tons of different Hattie patterned papers along with some of its sticker chipboard, tags and labels. In order to create some matching embellishments, I even fussy-cut some of those flowers from the boldest piece of patterned paper. I also incorporated some MME patterned papers from its Lost & Found - Sunshine collection that came out a few months later in 2011. I had specifically bought them because they matched the Hattie collection so much! There are also some Sunshine collection buttons on there. Other than that, I added some Crate Paper chipboard title and sticker embellishments along with a Maya Road banner clip, some American Crafts alphas and corrugated cardstock, Magic Mesh, Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze, and some handy stitching using a Bazzill Basics stitching template and some DMC floss. And my +3? You guessed it! The colors - grey, harvest gold, and indigo. As soon as I saw the proposed colors in the lists, I immediately thought of this collection and thought to myself, "I am long overdue to scrap with this collection!" SO very happy I did!

Hope you're inspired to use those collections you've been hoarding since forever! It's so fun to fall in love with older collections all over again. It reminds us why we bought those products in the first place! 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 November 2016 Book Inspired Stash Challenge #44 Reveal

Hello, everyone! Today, I get to reveal my design for Scrap Our Stash's November 2016 Book Inspired Stash Challenge #44. Here's the inspiration piece:

And here's my design:

As soon as I saw the Dr. Seuss book cover for this month's challenge, I immediately thought of an old October Afternoon collection I've had on hand for years - Rocket Age. Remember that one? c. 2011? Oh, yes. But, never in a million years did I think I'd end up using it for a wedding layout! ;) Here you see very, very good friends of ours on their wedding day in 2008. Set on an Echo Park Fall Blessings patterned paper, I layered different-sized squares in a "random" sequence. I then layered the photo on top of Stampin' Up vellum, ripped cardboard box pieces, and a piece of ruled transparency in gold foil. There's also an OA Rocket Age ephemera piece underneath there. I then sprinkled some Studio Calico wood veneer stars (as per the challenge!) along with some Stampin' Up tiny brads, Heidi Swapp mist, and Tattered Angels glaze. There's also a Crate Paper brad and title sticker, October Afternoon alphas, stickers, and button, Stampin' Up cardstock, and of course, my go-to hand-stitching using a Crafter's Workshop stitching template and some DMC floss.

So there you have it! Another layout designed with scrappy stash of old. But it totally works! Hope it will get you digging around your own supplies to get some layouts done. 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 October 2016 Sketch + 3 Challenge #43 Reveal

Hello, hello! Today's the day I reveal my design for Scrap Our Stash's October 2016 Sketch + 3 Challenge #43. But before I do that, here's the Brenda Ragsdale sketch along with the second part of the challenge:

And here's what I came up with:

I know I've said it before, but I really do love how SOS is making me use some of the scrappy stash I've been holding onto for years. Recognize these patterned papers? Most of them are from one of Heidi Swapp's very first collections - No Limits, c. 2012. There are also pieces from BoBunny's more recent Pop Quiz collection as well as one of We R Memory Keepers's Shine collection. I also added a few extra pieces from Heidi Swapp's No Limit collection (the banner pieces and a journalling card), some Stampin' Up cardstock and transparency pieces, a Pink Paislee tab, some Magic Mesh, Basic Grey and October Afternoon alphas, a few splats of Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze, hand-stitching using two snowflake stitching templates - one from Bazzill Basics and the other, from American Crafts - along with some DMC floss, buttons I've had on hand since forever, and Fancy Pants chipboard alphas I covered with BoBunny patterned paper. Those chipboard alphas, my goodness, I've had for almost ten years, now. I used to use them as stencils - tracing letters onto the back of patterned papers and fussy-cutting them out so that I could keep the chipboard for other projects. Well. My alpha collection has grown exponentially since then. I still traced the letters onto the back of patterned papers, but I glued the papers onto the chipboard pieces and off they went onto my layout. ;) As for my items on the three lists? Yes, that's right! I was inspired by the three showcased colors and used them as accents on my layout. Love how this one turned out! Photos taken in 2004 by my sister, Ginette.

Hope you're inspired to get some stashbusting done! It's so fun to dig around in your scrappy stash and find hidden gems that still totally work today. 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 October 2016 Book Inspired Stash Challenge #43 Reveal

Hello, hello! So happy to reveal my design for Scrap Our Stash's October 2016 Book Inspired Stash Challenge #43. Here's the inspiration piece:

And here's my design:

Now, for those of you following me these past few months, I've been on a Basic Grey binge. And I've also been using some of my older scrappy stash. However, rest assured that I do have newer supplies... ;) ... like this beauty of a collection - Fancy Pants' Good Fellows. As soon as I saw it released, I knew I had to have it. It's just SO perfect to scrap pics of my husband and son, or even to make birthday cards for my son's friends, When I first saw this challenge, I immediately thought of this collection paired with this photo. I used tons of the collection on here: patterned papers (both 12X12 and 6X6), tags, ephemera, a puffy dot sticker, and corrugated cardstock. I also added some 7 Gypsies patterned paper, Studio Calico wood veneer stars, Basic Grey basic alphas and metal stars, Prima alphas, an American Crafts title sticker, splats of Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze, a Heidi Swapp rubon, and hand-stiching using a Bazzil Basics stitching template and some DMC floss (perfect for using twine, thread or string as per this month's challenge rules). Sketch by Laura Whitaker. Photo by Philippe Dumas.

Hope you're inspired to start cutting into your newer stash to capture your favorite memories. 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 September 2016 Sketch + 3 Challenge #42 Reveal

Hello, everyone! SO happy to reveal my take for Scrap Our Stash's September 2016 Sketch + 3 Challenge #42. But before I do that, here's the Rochelle Spears sketch along with the second part of the challenge:

And here's what I designed:

SO love how SOS is inspiring me to dig deep in my stash and use scrappy goodies I've been holding onto for years! Such is the case with Basic Grey's What's Up? collection. As soon as I saw air balloons in the first list of items to use on this layout, I started looking for it. I knew there was this BG collection that had some in it. And ta-da! There it was. I used tons of it for this layout - patterned papers (I fussy-cut that air ballon - it's actually just half of a balloon, but tucked behind my paper layers, it still does the trick!), alphas, and chipboard stickers. I also layered a piece of BG's Wisteria collection as well as one from BG's RSVP collection. They matched so perfectly! YAY! Finally, I added a few buttons (item from list 2) as embellishments on the air balloon, Stampin' Up cardstock for my journalling and some of their vellum behind my photo, a Freckled Fawn title wood veneer piece, a few splats of Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze (my journalling is actually hiding a few splatting mishaps!), a run of the mill paper clip, and yes, of course, some hand-stitching using a Crafter's Workshop stitching template and some DMC floss. Oh! And my item for list 3 is the piece of patterned paper with chevrons on it. Photo by Jocelyne Roy, a scrappy friend who's been babysitting my sweet Éloïse for the past two years. Love these pics she takes of our girl while we're working. Merci, Jocelyne!

Hope you'll dig deep in your own stash to find everything you need to create something for this 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 challenge, please hop along right over here.

Happy scrapping!