I'm back!

Hello, everyone! Yes, that's right - I'm back!! Our new, little bundle of joy, Éloïse Angélie, was born October 8th, and everyone has been adjusting well since. She is such a great baby and Louis-Olivier loves being a big brother - especially when Éloïse lights up when she sees him or hears his voice. I did go through a hormonal rough patch for a few weeks, but thanks to great friends, was able to bounce back much more quickly than expected.  All is well.

And yes, that means that I have slowly, but surely gotten in the routine of scrapping again. I started with my thank you cards as well as my Christmas cards and am now working on Christmas gifts. However, I did do this next layout one evening just to change it up a bit and do something different.

Based on a PageMaps sketch, I used lots and lots of Simple Stories. You can also find some Jillibean Soup, Maya Road, Studio Calico, Cosmo Cricket, Stampin' Up, Tattered Angels and October Afternoon. I also used my We R Memory Keepers tab punch as well as my Crafter's Workshop stitching template. And those two in the photo? My dear parents in August 2012, down by the shore, a hop, skip and a jump from the house. Oh! And mea culpa! I have no idea where those buttons come from, but they are an absolutely perfect match for that green patterned paper. Woo!Hoo!

Happy scrapping!

Stuck?! Sketches' October 1st Sketch & ScrapFriends' Yummy Scrap #17: Color Palette Challenge

Happy Sunday everyone! Can you imagine?!? No baby yet!! 40 weeks, 4 days and still counting... So what have I been up to? Scrapping of course!! Thank God for online challenges - they've definitely helped me pass the time since the beginning of my maternity leave.

When Laura Whitaker posted this sketch over at Stuck?! Sketches, I instantly knew I was going to do something with it. Here it is:

One of my favourite things to do with a sketch, is to flip it around to see if it works in any other ways. And of course, this time was no different. I had a few horizontal pics I wanted to scrap that I could choose from so here is how I flipped it:

I also fell in love with SCRAPfriends' Yummy Scrap #17 - Color Palette Challenge:

And voilà! Here is what I created:

I know I've said it before, but I just LOVE how color challenges get me to think outside of single collections like I used to. On this layout, I actually used three different patterned paper manufacturers (Sassafras, Crate Paper and Basic Grey), but actually used paper pieces from four different Basic Grey collections - Kioshi, Hello Luscious, Origins, and Hopscotch. So that's six different paper collections! FUN!! I also added some bits and pieces of Heidi Swapp, Stampin' Up, Tim Holtz, Webster's Pages, Prima, Tattered Angels, Evalicious, and DMC floss using Bazzill Basics stitching templates. Oh! And those yellow circles were embossed with a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

Oh! And Laura from Stuck?! Sketches was kind enough to feature this layout on their blog!! Exciting! Check it out here.

Happy scrapping!

Creative Scrappers: Sketch #252

Hello, again! Well, I'm officially 40 weeks pregnant today and still no sign of baby so I thought I would blog a bit to keep my mind busy. This time around, I was inspired by Jenny Evans' sketch for Creative Scrappers:

Isn't it fabulous? Great for scraps and totally flippable, too! Here is what I came up with:

Lots of Echo Park - Note to Self on this one, with some Studio Calico, Stampin' Up, DMC floss using Bazzill Basics stitching templates and Tattered Angels. Thanks CS, for another great sketch and inspirational reveal!

Happy scrapping!

Let's Capture Our Memories: October Color Spot

Hello! Hello! I was so happy when Let's Capture Our Memories' owner, Isabelle Perreault-Doucette asked me to design a layout for the first LCOM Color Spot a few weeks back. She chose this awesome Design Seeds' color combo as inspiration:

Isn't it awesome and absolutely perfect for this time of year? Also inspired by a Melinda Spinks design, here is what I came up with - a Valentine's Day layout!

Another layout with lots of manufacturers, I used some Heidi Swapp, My Mind's Eye, Echo Park, Fancy Pants Designs, Bazzill, Prima, Tim Holtz, Tattered Angels, American Crafts, Studio Calico, DMC, Imaginisce, Sizzix, EK Success (their Circle Scissor Pro is AWESOME!), and unknown buttons and paper clip.

Oh! And actually, LCOM is having a a challenge on its forum where members can upload projects with anything relating to time on them. Come on over for some fun!

Happy scrapping!

Let's Capture Our Memories: Sketch #39

Hello, again! I'm on a roll! :) No, but seriously, I just wanted to make sure I squeezed this post in before I hopefully go into labor (fingers crossed!). I used Let's Capture Our Memories' Sketch #39 by Melissa Williams:

And here is what I created:

I've had that Bo Bunny - On the Go collection for a couple of years now, and have never done anything with it. Once I found the collection in my stash and saw that piece of bold patterned paper, I thought to myself: "Hey! I could totally cut those circles out!!" It was like eating Tim Bits or Pringles chips - once I started, I couldn't stop! Hee!Hee! I also used some Studio Calico, Tattered Angels, Basic Grey, Heidi Swapp, Stampin' Up, DMC floss using a Bazzill Basics stitching template as well as some good ol' paper clips.

Happy scrapping... again!

Stuck?! Sketches: September 1st Sketch and Life. Paper. Scrapbook September Colour Challenge

Hello! Hope this first day of the typical work week has been good to you. I am still waiting for some sign that this baby is coming out (I'll be 40 weeks in two days!) so I have been busy scrapping up a storm as of late. As many of you know, I've always loved a good sketch, but I have absolutely fallen in love with colour challenges. And when I can mix the two together, it's truly a little piece of heaven. That's exactly what I've done with the Stuck?! Sketches' September 1st Sketch and the Life. Paper. Scrapbook. September Colour Challenge. Here they are:

And here is what I came up with:

There was a time not so very long ago when I would limit myself to one collection while doing a layout. These colour challenges have really made me think outside the box! On this particular layout, I used American Crafts, Making Memories, Bo Bunny and October Afternoon - and that's just the patterned paper!! I also added some Sizzix and Stampin' Up cardstock, Bella Blvd and October Afternoon alphas, Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze, DMC floss using a Crafter's Workshop stitching template and embellishments by Stampin' Up, Bottle Cap Inc., Webster's Pages,  as well as a variety of buttons. Woo!Hoo!

Oh! And the girls at Life. Paper. Scrapbook chose my layout as one of their top three layouts for the September colour challenge!!  Woo!Hoo! times two!!

Happy scrapping!

Creative Scrappers: Sketch #251

Hello, again! I've been feeling particularly scrappy since I attended the Let's Capture Our Memories Back 2 Croppin' crop this past weekend - just finished a layout using Creative Scrappers' Sketch #251 by Kristine Davidson. Here's the sketch:

And here's what I put together:

Lots of new My Mind's Eye - Cut & Paste/Charm on this one with some Crate Paper, Stampin' Up, Studio Calico, Tattered Angels, Basic Grey, October Afternoon, American Crafts, a Crafter's Workshop stenciling template, and DMC floss using some Crafter's Workshop and Bazzill Basics stitching templates. Those paper clippy circles? I received them as a gift at the crop from one of my favourite scrappy peeps. Cuteness!!

Oh! And look! Kristine was kind enough to feature this layout on the Creative Scrappers' blog! How exciting is that?!?

Happy scrapping!