Cottege Grove Caches

I was inspired by two different wonderful scrappers for this layout.

Tiffany,  Breakfast @ Tiffany's is doing a twenty minute challenge

and Chas is DT at Red Carpet Studios where they're hosting an ABC ransom hop

I got this LO done this morning after the youngest went to preschool.  Seems like the only time I have to create now is when everyone is at school and preschool only last 2 hours.  With driving back and forth, throwing in a few loads of laundry and checking out the latest post that really only leaves a little bit of time.

Glad I'm pushing myself to keep it to 20minutes or I'd never get anything done.  Fortunately this layout was easy to put together as all the elements came together in a kit I inherited from my wonderful Aunt Diane.

So no time spent searching for matching embellishments or coordinating papers.

 The title is a mix match of colors, but all the same style and brand so not as creative as Chas with four different alpha, but still using up letters that otherwise would just sit in my stash.  the whole blog hop has different ideas for using extra letters on layouts.

even did the same thing with the numbers on the chip board tags that correspond with the journal points

Shelling out at Lasting Memories

This weeks challenge is rather open to interpretation since not everyone celebrates Halloween.

So Shelling out could be you passing out the treats on Halloween, gutting your pumpkin shells or a trip to the beach searching for shells.  Hey, it could even be you shelling out the big bucks for your latest trip to the scrapbook store.

Mine is all about Shelling and cracking crab.

We have some wonderful Friends that let us share their beach cabin in Waldport, Or.

On this trip we spent Saturday crabbing on Alsea Bay.  Went back to the cabin and cooked up our limit of crab.  They have an awesome outdoor crab cooker and fish gutting station.

close up journaling

I used the cast of from the 1st page.

  To make this crab I cut around the image and some of the spots where there was a lot of paper around the claws.  Then I just stuck the photos of the kids inside the outline and cut and trimmed to get this.

This is minus tide on Sunday.

  My four kids and John ( lime green swim trunks) played in the ocean until we had to leave for home

Hope you've been inspired to join us this week and

don't forget about our monthly prize.  The more you play the more chances to win.  We are also  looking for an November guest designer.  If you'd like a chance just add GDT after your name when you link it up.

Clue at Child's Play

Wow,I have no CLUE where the month has gone, can you believe it's already time for our 4th challenge? Today we're playing the classic game,Clue!

For my take on the challenge I'll be sharing my latest Geo caching LO.
It's like treasure hunting with GPS coordinates as your main clue.

Here's one weekend worth of caching as we headed up Hwy 58 to our property in Crescent Junction.

I made a flip file to showcase photos and clues

"Oak Ridge Rest Stop"

GC1GATM = geocache id number used for cataloging finds

N 43 degrees 44.256'  W 122 degrees 27.330'

difficulty 1 1/2 stars   terrain 1 1/2 stars

Clue: Actually this cache is in the Greenwaters Park Area across from the rest stop.

* Had to be super sneaky with all the bike Oregon riders camped out in the park.

Side view of photo flip

Don't forget you have till the end of the month to link up your  Green Slime, Great Pumpkin, Googly Eyes and Clue Layouts at Child's play



Use Orange at UIT

It's a color challenge at Use it Tuesday .
It's not even Halloween yet and I'm all tricked out in orange and the treat is I didn't do a Halloween or Fall layout, but instead showcased my girl friend baby shower.

So pull out  some orange to make a layout, card, or altered art  item for the current challenge.
  Just remember to list what items you used from your stash.

Last year I bought the animal cracker stack to make a babies first year album for my girlfriends shower gift.  The base of this layout is one of the few sheets I had left from that stack .  I also used a scrap of the brown polka-dot paper and fussy cut around the monkey, hippo and leaves to make my own embellishments.

I also managed to use the last of the orange animal print ribbon I got to make the baby album. Tossed in a couple of piece of orange card stock for over the top orange layout and there you have it a totally orange layout using only left overs from animal cracker stack.

Hope you enjoy my creation and look forward to seeing what you create

Please link your creation using Inlinkz by Friday  Nov 2nd . No blog? No problem! Just use keyword USE042 when uploading to an online gallery and leave us a direct link so we can find your creation.

Please make sure to mention you are playing along with us at Use It Tuesday  (a link is great too!)

Double take at Lasting memories

For this weeks challenge at lasting memories we're asking you to use the same photo twice on your layout.

Some of the DT have projects that have identical photos, some have the same subject from different angles and Denise has an awesome reflection photo that she played with.

I used two photos of the same subject from a slightly different camera angles

 

and stacked them to make one focal photo.

Here's what they look like on the layout

the bottom photo is on  foam dots and when stacked together almost has a 3D quality. 

close up of my middle two kids.  Our current canoe configuration is that I get the middle children in the 15ft canoe and my husband gets the oldest and youngest in the 13ft canoe.  Before long we'll have to get a 3rd canoe.  Good thing the kids are pretty good at paddling.

Hope you join us for this weeks challenge.  
If you'd like to join us as a guest designer for November just add GDT after your name when you link it up

Fern Ridge in 20 or less

Happy Friday everyone. I have another

  LO for you.

 Here's the timeline for this one.

last night:

selected photos and sketch

today after preschool drop off

9:28-9:42

switch out laundry, set up cricut, pick out papers

9:42-10:22

work on page one of two page layout

*** will post on Sunday as part of Lasting Memories post***

10:22-10:44

another load of laundry, charge cell phone and  page two -minus journaling

10:44

leave for preschool pick up

11:27

 clean up desk and jot down journaling

  11:33

done

Having fun cranking out the layouts.

Thanks for a great challenge Tiffany



Fourth of July in 20 min or less

Okay I have another crop layout to share that I did in 20 or less.( kind of)

If you're like me and take everything , but the kitchen sink to a crop you know that it takes a while to figure out where you packed everything. Along with stopping to catch up on the latest happenings.-some of these ladies I haven't seen since this summer.  Hunting for the plug in for my cricut, dropping in my raffle ticket, getting a snack and reading through all the welcome stuff.  I think the whole thing might have taken an hour, but actual work time definitely under the 20 minute mark.

How  is it possible to get it done that quick?  The secret for me was

 sharing some of my stuff.  While looking for a cowboy themed  die cut  I found this pre made border in my stash.  Added a little ribbon on either sides,  doodling and some die cuts from the fire cracker I found while hunting for cowboy hats.. I got this quick and cute border.

I got 8 layouts done at the crop that was from 9-5pm.

Had to stop and share a couple of techniques and of course there were the hourly drawings and lunch

not to mention I didn't get there till about 9:30 so I averaged a layout every 45 minutes

some took less time, others more.

  You'll have to wait to see the other layouts as they are part of some of my DT work for

Use it Tuesday, Child's Play and Lasting memories.

so stop by Breakfast at Tiffany's to share what you can get done in 20

20 minutes or less challenge

Tiffany over at Breakfast at Tiffany's is challenging us to create a layout in twenty minutes or less.

This is one that I created at a recent crop.  I wish I could say that the rest of my creations from that crop were as fast, but I don't work as quickly in a room full of wonderfully funny distractions, I mean ladies.

Super easy layout to put together I used all coordinating papers so all I had to do is pick what goes where as far as the pattern paper and back grounds go

Journal strips are also quick and easy

C is for canoe, Cleawox and cold kids

The center probably took the longest to create as I cut the paper strips and circle and stuck it all together.

The center has paper loops that popped up more before going into the album. but I still like that I made my own embellishment with paper

Why don't you take the 20 minute challenge too



Out of the hat at lasting memories

This week at Lasting Memories it's an out of the hat challenge.

Pick any 4 things and create a layout.

Here's a layout that I truly have pulled out of the hat and my album.  I'm not playing tricks on you because  you've seen it before in its more simple existence.  I made the base of this LO back in June while on scrap retreat and wasn't quit satisfied with it. 

 So what better time to trick it out then with this challenge.  I already had orange and green on the layout not to mention the flourishes and pumpkins

All I did was add some yellow ribbon and the scarecrow die cut to give it a more finished look

 and get in my four elements.

Colors:  Orange, Green, yellow and a tiny bit of red on the scarecrow

Die cut: scarecrow popped up with foam squares

Ribbon: I used the reverse side of some yellow and flower print ribbon

Flourish: are off cast from another scrappers project

(she made a bunch of guitars from quarter note cart and cut off the flourishes she didn't want.)

Oops I have five. 

 Pumpkins:  in the photos and under the scarecrows feet

Hope you've been inspired to join us this week and

don't forget about our monthly prize.  The more you play the more chances to win.  We are also  looking for an November guest designer.  If you'd like a chance just add GDT after your name when you link it up.

It's all about Fall

It's time for a new challenge at Use it Tuesday ,and it's all about fall. Fall colors and themes. It's up to you to create a layout, card or altered art project from items in your stash .
  Just remember to list what items you used from your stash.

For an added challenge try to make the whole project from your stash like I did

  The Creative memories paper is a couple years old.
 The Orange and blue are from the primary collection from 2-3 yrs ago and the Green and yellow are from last years collection of primary.  Love that they work together even though the pattern and color are a little different.

 The flowers are more of the hand me downs from aunt Diane that I colored with a CTMH stamp pen that I've had for more the 10 years. Originally the flowers were pink and cream, but turned a nice orange after I colored them.. The star brads I've had for several years too.

I used October Sketches with a twist for my LO inspiration

I hope I've inspired you to use some of your stash and would love to see what you come up with.

Please link your creation using Inlinkz by Friday  Oct 19th. No blog? No problem! Just use keyword USE041 when uploading to an online gallery and leave us a direct link so we can find your creation.

Please make sure to mention you are playing along with us at Use It Tuesday  (a link is great too!)

My Hometown at Lasting Memories

The current challenge at Lasting memories is "My Hometown"

And let me tell you it's had me struggling to come up with something.

 Even though I have resided in the same place for the last 16 years it's hard for me to land on a true hometown.  I was born into a career military family and my father was stationed at several bases across the country and over seas. 

Actually I was born in Wiesbaden Germany and lived there for the first 2 1/2 years of my life.  No I can't speak German and I really don't remember any of it.  My first Hometown wasn't even my town, but my grandparents town of Upper Marlboro, Maryland.  My moms parents  moved there when my Dad got orders for the Pentagon.  So as we hop scotched from one rental house to another during our wait for base housing at Bowling AFB, it was my grandparents house that we would spend weekends and holidays.

From there it was four years on Oahu, Hawaii at Hickam AFB .

Kind of hard to call an Air Force Base your home town, but it kind of was. 

My must memorable station was Randolph AFB in San Antonio Texas.

I love Texas because that's where I first fell in love, went to high school and learned to drive.

I was a Texan girl through and through Y'all.  Right down to my Justin Red Ropers.

Which I made the mistake of wearing at my new High school in Colorado Springs my Senior year.  Some sort of misdirected anger at Texas for ruining the Colorado Real Estate economy when the gas market bottomed out in the 70's.  Still don't understand why they thought it would be funny to box my car in the schools parking lot, just because of the Texas plates.  Needless to say I totally hated my Senior year of high school at MTV high.  (Not really MTV high but we did have Pauly Shore come visit when he was in town)

Went to college in Boulder Colorado, because of a boy.  Stupid me and lucky too.

Met my husband at the pool at Peterson AFB. In Colo. Springs after breaking up with the boy I stayed in state for.

So flash forward 16 years and here I am in wonderful Eugene, Oregon

You'd think it would be my hometown, but I just can't pin one down.

So what to do for this challenge?

Well the only time I truly feel at home is when I'm on the water. 

And that's one thing all of my other homes have had in common.

Whether it was time at the beach playing in the ocean, floating on the Guadalupe river, sailing on the reservoir our paddling the canoe in one of Oregon's beautiful lakes

This is my favorite photo of lake Cleawox

I made my own glitter letters by cutting black card stock at 1.5 inches from the font 2 on Devine Wedding cart then covered them in black glitter glue to match the border

 As much as I struggled with this challenge I thought I should use the write up for the post as my journaling

 I threw in one more photo of the lake and some flowers, brads and ribbon

Here's what the 2 page spread looks like.

Don't forget about our monthly prize.  The more you play the more chances to win.  We are also  looking for an November guest designer.  If you'd like a chance just add GDT after your name when you link it up.

Green Slime at Childs Play



Time for our 1st challenge for the month of October.
Today we're playing  with , Green Slime.

For this LO I used a Creative Scrapper sketch from the down loadable book I won from Kristine Davidson .  I'd share the actual sketch but I don't have  permission from Kristine  .  If you love sketches like I do you should totally check out creative scrapper

I really wanted to play up the slime theme so I used the word Slime for my title.  I was out of the letter m so I got creative and cut the hump off an n and stuck it together with another n.  I also had to cut down b to make the l so to hide the cuts I covered the letters in green stickles.  All the letters are mounted on the  outer edge piece from a foam pack.  I'm super frugal and try to stretch my scrapping dollar by using all of the foam in the package.

Our family went canoeing on Waldo Lake this summer and after paddling around and doing some swimming the kids found these blobs of slime.  We weren't sure what they were at first, but turned out to be frog eggs.  There's probably about 60 plus frog eggs in this pile of slime.

I hope you'll join us for some slimy fun at child's play

Autumn Splendor at Lasting Memories

First off I know I'm late posting and need to apologize.  I've been out of my bedroom/ crafting space for the last week and a half with all the guest filing through the house.  I tried working ahead as much as possible, but I just didn't get this challenge done in time.  Doesn't help that I lost my mojo being away from my supplies for soo long.

If you haven't already checked in at lasting memories the current challenge is:

Autumn Splendor
Dig out those Autumn photos. Feel free to use autumn colors, foliage etc. 

I didn't have far to go to find the perfect pictures.  These are just a few of the families photos shot at Thistledown farm last fall. 

I hope you like it. 

 I used creative scrapper #228 as my layout inspiration

 I pulled the colors for the LO from the fabulous sunflowers we were standing in.
Added a few touches of glitter and a little bit of bling to really pull it all together.
Even put glitter glue on top of the sticker letters (they were a little to light and just didn't pop off the background very well)

There you have it.  So please join us this week and show us your Autumn splendor.

Don't forget about our monthly prize.  The more you play the more chances to win.  We are also  looking for an November guest designer.  If you'd like a chance just add GDT after your name when you link it up.