Gift Exchange

 I have another boy scout layout from my son's troop gift exchange.  I still need to pull out the cricut to cut a title but I'm running out of time to enter the following two challenges.  Lasting memories "flowers and tags" and The scraproom April "jump-start"

Here's the sketch for the jump start

I got the silver sprinkles as a bonus with an order a while back.  I think they'd work better in a shaker pocket than directly on the page.  Live and learn, but another layout is done

Thanks for stopping by

Court of Honor

 Nothing like looming deadlines to light a creative fire.  

I'm doubling up on this one with Sketches in thyme #464 and Lasting memories 4x4 challenge.

Here's the sketch

and the details for Lasting memories 4x4

4x4 photo- Since April is the 4th month of the year you must include at least one 4x4 photo on your layout.

I choose two 4x4 as it was close to the sketch proportions.

I had fun with my shimmerz vibes "seas the day and love ocean"

I used the packaging technique and splattering.

Layered lots of scraps, a branding strip, and fussy cut some flowers.

The title is a sticker from some boy scout embellishments I picked up a while ago.

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to check out the challenges

E.A.S.T.E.R. challenge

 April is almost over and I'm just now getting to the E.A.S.T.E.R. challenge at Lasting Memories.  It's a wordplay challenge using scrappy items, themes, or techniques for every letter in the word Easter. The layout doesn't have to be Easter-related.  It can be about anything, but the 2 E's have to be different items.

 

I dug through my scraps for this one, mixing and matching pieces for a layout documenting Eric's trip to Camp Easton on Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

For my Easter letters:

E- Enamel dots ( Nuvo drops which I managed to smear on the right-hand side of the page)

A- Arrow (red and white chevron arrow under boys rule)

S-Stickers (words and phrases)

T- Thicker  alpha (colored red to match the color scheme)

E- Easton ( camp name in the title)

R- Rhinestones and red

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to check out the challenge

 

Memorial day with April sketch challenge

 I'm playing along with the April sketch challenge

I switched the orientation of the sketch and subbed in brackets instead of the shaped photo mat

Thanks for stopping by

Tsisqan Lodge 75th

 I used Sketch-n-Scrap #222 for this layout of Tsisqan lodge's 75th-anniversary dinner.

This is the first layout in a while that is not from a collection or TSR kit.  I pulled out my scraps to mimic the colors of the photo backdrop (sunset).  I also dug through my embellishments to round out the layout. Went with a few substitutions/ omissions.  No dollies but instead used the scrolled blue paper.  Also, the photos are bigger than those in the sketch but the overall framework is there.  I hope you enjoy my creation  and thanks for dropping by

OA weekend

 I'm officially done with my 2020 album and have switched over to working on my son's scout album.

I used the same sketch from my last post but only the left-hand side of the sketch and went from six photos to two.  So amazing that one sketch can be the inspiration for so many different layouts.

I finished off the "Happy Camper" TSR kit minus a few chipboard flowers.  I made my embellishments stretch to fit by cutting the play frame diagonally and spreading it across both photos

I also created my own thicker type Alpha's by cut 4 layers of cream cardstock under the patterned paper letters.  Love the dimension it gives to the layout

Thanks for stopping by

Sketch support #19 Gingerbread Village

 

One more 2-page spread and I will be done with my 2020 album.  I can't believe how quickly it came together but it's all thanks to Linda, my CM advisor,  her tracking sheet challenge has been a real game-changer.  So far I've only missed scrapping four days this year.  I have also been utilizing a lot of sketches to get layouts done.  I used the following Allison Davis Sketch support #19 for my Gingerbread village layout.

I used CM "North Pole Magic" paper, die cuts, and Village border punch that I inherited from Mary and thought I would never use.  It looks so good as a gingerbread village all I had to do was add a little white doodling to give it the gingerbread house vibe

Also pulled out some dollies, Shimmerz paints, chalk ink, and a few gems

Even utilized my underused cricut for the title cut.

Thanks for stopping by for a look

All about sketches w/LM #538

 Somehow I missed this2 photo sketch from earlier in the month.  So glad  I was cruising through the lasting Memories gallery and saw a couple of layouts that inspired me to snag this last one.  I can now officially say that I have played along with all the challenges for the month 5 for 5

.

flip-flopped a few things around as far as the title and subtitle placement go, but that's the nice thing about sketches they're just a suggestion for placement.

I did group my embellishment clusters in the same general areas and tried to have the same color combinations in each cluster along with a mixture of heights and textures.

Thanks for stopping by to take a peak.  Can't wait for next months challenges

All about sketches with lating memories

 This is the last sketch challenge for the month with lasting memories and I have enjoyed the challenges immensely, having participated in 4 of the 5 challenges. I think I may have a sketch addiction, but that's okay as it led to another creation this time documenting our baby goats.  We got Drawf Nigerian Goats this past November and spent sometime bottle feeding them to help them transition away from their mom.  The little boy didn't take to the bottle at all and ended up with the name Dodger as he truly dodged everything, but our little girl snowie was the complete oposite.  She'd cry for her bottle as soon as we entered the barn

I think the sketch was intended to be for 8 1/2 X 11 but I stretched to a 12x12.  Just a few deviations from the sketch as I didn't do a journal banner and I added a visual triangle of embellishments around the close up of snowie to make it more of the focal photo.

Thanks for stopping by

Silver Falls

 I tried to kill another TSR kit today.

But still had more than 2/3 of the sticker sheet left.  

Instead of stressing about it and trying to embrace the challenge, I decided to chop up the small bit of remaining paper and stickers into 4x6 mats so that I can stick them in my storage system to use at a later date.

Halloween

 For as interesting of a year as 2020 was I sure do have a lot of scrapbook pages completes for the year's album.  Maybe because we still did things even if it was scaled back or maybe because I refused to hide in a hole and hope that Covid would disappear.  Got to keep living life.  My only problem no is what scrap project to work on next.  Since I've been crafting a minimum of 15 minutes a day I've made my way through most of the family photos.  I know I could print this year's photos and be current, work on the kid's school albums so I don't have to do it all in the summer, or get back to scout photos.  Guess I'll find something. But for now, here's the latest two-page spread courtesy of an Oct 2020 page map sketch. 

I'm really struggling with my phone's camera.  Actually just my phone in general.  Touch screen sensitivity.  Time to get it repaired or replaced.  Anyway, I still haven't figured out to photogra[h my finished project without it looking all wonky.  Suggestions.

All about sketches with Lasting memories

 So excited to be 3 for 3 with lasting Memories Sketch challenges this month.

this time we are creating with the four photo sketch shown below

I did make my photos a bit larger and didn't set them on angle as I used my corner rounder to soften the edges and  my plaid stripe through the middle made the off set angles look funky.  Still love how it came out and that I used some more of two fall-ish themed Echo Park collections.  Trying to kill off another kit but just couldn't use the cutiesy forest animal chipboard pieces. I did however mix in a few odds and ends.

I created the title card by cutting down a 4X6 card that had multiple fall words that didn't apply and then fussy cutting around the top edges of the two orange flowers to have the flower border with out a wierd cup through the centers of those flowers.

Fall Scrap retreat

 So I took a selfie at the Fall 2020 scrap retreat and paired it with photoplay "you had me at paper" collection

No sketch and I used some more of my Nuvo mousse embellishment.  I had much better results this time as I applied it to a single layer of paper.  Too bad most of it got covered with all the reader board embellishments.

Threw in a mixture of other little bits and some enamel dots for good measure.

Love how it turned out and am glad I can play along with Use your stuff challenge

 I strategically placed the bow by the reader board with "If all else fails add another embellishment". So perfect

Smokey today w/ Scrap our stash

Back when it felt like the entire west coast was on fire I took pictures of what it was like on the worst of the days.

 On September 12th much of the Springfield community to the south of me was on level two evacuation notice. Blue River was mostly consumed by the Holiday farm fire.  To the North and East of us, the two major complexes joined to become the Santiam Canyon fire.  With numerous fires throughout the state, our AQI (air quality index) was in the hazardous range.  At the time of the screenshot on the layout, it was 460.  By bedtime the level was so high it wasn't recordable.  Visibility was down to less than 850 yds and everything had an orange eerie glow.

To capture the feel of the climate at the time I decided to use Pink paisley "Indigo and Ivy" papers.  The patterns to me look smokey.  I pulled out my black polka dot washi as it looks kind of like ash and the challenge at Scrap our stash requires washi tape along with the sketch below. also threw in some rhinestone swirls for that whispy smoke feel and to take the place of the journal tag in the sketch.  Swapped out a photo square with a journal card since I have a photo in the center instead of an embellishment.

 

  

and here's my take

Hoping that this summer will be better.

 

Danielle's Birtday w/ SID sketch

 Sketches are my jam.  

Been cranking out the layouts with the assistance of some awesome sketches. 

 This one is from the single page sketch at Stick it Down

and here's my take on the sketch

I added a banner behind my photos as I felt that the striped paper was overpowering them even with the matting.  In the end, you can barely see the banner after all the fun embellishments were added.

I used Echo Park "lets Party"  I cut the Happy Birthday banner apart as it was originally stacked.  Added some dimension by popping up a few of the stickers and die cuts with foam.

Since we are mid-way through the month I thought I'd also share my tracker sheet.  One of my #2021goals is to spend at least 15 minutes a day crafting and blogging at least once a week.  So far I've only missed 3 days of crafting.  My other goals are fitness-related.  Doing great on the running mileage, but haven't started up a cross-training routine yet.

Anyone else set crafting/ scraping goals this year?

Sketches in Thyme #460

  I'm steadily working my way through 2020 photos.  I have them all paired with papers and embellishments from the last crop I prepared for and with a daily goal of scrapping 15 minutes a day or more I'm up to September 2020.  September 2nd, 2020 was my oldest daughter's 21st birthday and we celebrated with a Tiki Bar.

Sketches in Thyme #460 is the perfect fit for the 5x7 photo of my daughter and her boyfriend Sam

All about sketches with Lasting memories

 I'll be the first one to admit that I'm a sketch addict.  

I love everything about them: the speed that I can complete a layout, not having to come up with something on my own, some guidance but also the freedom to alter as needed.

I'm more than thrilled that lasting memories is focusing on sketch-based layouts this month.  This double-page spread was a fantastic way to showcase some of my hiking photos from this past September.

Here's the 6 photo sketch

and here is my adaptation

I actually have 7 photos on my layout as I wasn't sure about having such a large space to the left of my photos

Aside from the additional photo I played around with different placements for embellishment clusters and tried my hand at mixed media again.  I tinted my embellishment mousse with shimmerz  vibez "love ocean".  The color was a bit light for my liking and I bleed through the stencil where it transitioned from the circle to the paper stripe.  Multilevel of paper doesn't lend itself to smooth stenciling.  Got a little better on the left-hand page.  I also painted on additional "love ocean" to get a deeper tone once the mousse was dry.

Thanks for stopping by