LM# 682 sketch with a twist

 Welcome to 2024 and my first layout playing along with Lasting memories newest challenge. The first challenge of the year is to use this sketch from Page Maps, and a scrappy twist is to use a punch on your layout; if you don't have any punches you can always use a die cut. 

I stuck fairly close to the sketch.  I did make the cluster in the upper right the scout fleur de lis and a printed copy of the emergency prep merit badge that I sewed onto the layout instead of a large circle.

For the twist I used the chipboard polaroid frame that I covered with the red wood grain paper.  If the badge wasn’t so large I would have punched it but love that it’s close to the real badge size.

 Another Scout layout done.  Only 8 more months of events to finish of  2022 in my son’s scout album.  I will do some pocket pages for his trip to Tennessee.  Stay tuned for more layouts as I am trying to get in more scrapping this year

LM#679 Walk in the park and S.I.T sketch

Now that December is almost over I finally have some time to play along with a couple of challenges.  Right now Lasting Memories is revisiting a few of the design team's favorite challenges from 2023.  This one is for Walk in the Park-use at least one outdoor photo on your layout

I used Sketches in Thyme Sketch for Dec 22

I rotated the sketch and added a second page to create this double layout.

I love manipulating sketches and find that I lean on sketches a lot lately.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look

 

TSR December throwback

 

Winding down the year with a throwback sketch from the scrap room.

I rotated the sketch and made the photos a little bigger as well as swapped the title and journaling placement but the bones of the layout are still all there.

Christmas cards from scraps

 

Wow, it's been a hot minute since I've had a chance to sit and create.  Got a few Christmas cards made today with the leftover CM Sugar Plum collection.  Finally finished off the last bit of paper and all of the die cuts

Of the 10 I made these are my 3 favorites

I'll try to be back soon now that we are on break

Last Use Your Stuff challenge and collaberation with Double Trouble

Welcome to our very last challenge here at Use Your Stuff.  

We decided to go out with a bang and so we are doing a  Collaboration with Double Trouble Challenges.

Be sure to link up your projects with them as well as with us. You can use the link here.
This challenge will run until the 31st of December on both our blog and the Double Trouble blog. 
Check out the images below so that you can create your project to play along with both of us.
You are going to need to die-cut an image for your project for the Double Trouble portion.
Our portion of the challenge is to Wrap it Up, so use things like ribbon, twine, bows, washi, etc.

For my die cut image I used my Circut to cut various sized circles. Not a very interesting die-cut, but I did manage to use my circut more in the last two months than I have all year. Maybe a goal for next year.

Before I go down that rabbit hole let's look at the other details for this layout/ challenge.

I added baker twine to my tag to "wrap it up"

I was inspired by this sketch from Rochelle Spears

I added a second photo in place of a title and extended the pp behind the photos 

 and am using the left-hand column from Stacy's Tic Tac Toe

Thanks for stopping by

Don't forget to share your project with us at Use Your Stuff and over at Double Trouble.

As this is our last challenge,  the owner is having a little giveaway for you.   5 entries will be randomly selected to receive a crafty surprise, so make sure you play along.  You are welcome to enter as many times as you wish, but you must play along with both blogs, and the giveaway will be open internationally. Winners will be posted here on January 2nd so watch for it!

Sad and Happy News

 Let's start with the sad:

 Use Your Stuff will be closing the blog as of December 31st, 2023.

We thank you so very much for being with us every challenge and sharing with us your joy and love of creating.  We have been so proud to have been here to help stimulate your creativity and crafting.

and the not so sad:

   We do have one more challenge that will go for all of December that will coordinate with Double Trouble which we are super excited about.

We wish you nothing but love and joy going forward and we look forward to still seeing many of you on your blogs and in other challenges.

The happy news for me is that I have been selected to be on the double-page design team for Stick it Down starting in January. So stay tuned for some more layouts coming your way

Shine Bright

I'm back with inspiration for the Shine Bright challenge at Use Your Stuff where we are using bling or something that gives off light (lamps, twinkle lights, sun, etc.)

I went with some almost dried-out stickles in blue and small clear rhinestones around the star, along the top of the photos, and a larger one on the camera lens.  I also used some puffy stars as those give off light in real life.

I used several project life cards that I picked up this weekend on Facebook marketplace. Originally I was going to get rid of these ones as I didn't think I would use the more masculine cards, but they worked out great.  I think I'll cull through them again and only get rid of the ones I don't think I'd use.  Wish me luck as I have three plus boxes to go through.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look and please join us at Use Your Stuff 

Snow/ winter at Use Your Stuff

Back again with another Boy Scout layout this time featuring some snow play which fit perfectly with the most recent challenge at Use Your Stuff - Winter/ Snow

We don't get much snow in the southern end of theWillamette Valley so the troop drove 2hrs to a snow park for some tubing fun after a long season of collecting Christmas trees

I used the following sketch from Sketches in Thyme

Similar idea but changed the photo orientation and went with one less small photo.

I added the embellishment cluster to the left to hid a bright red sled as my eye kept going to the bright spot on the photo and not the mountain.  

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to join us at Use Your Stuff

 

Sketch- n- scrap #284

Have you ever created a layout around an embellishment?  I could have sworn that I had a page kit with feathers in it so as I was thumbing throw all my kits I found the circle embellishment that reminded me of a dream catcher but no feathers.  What's a scrapper to do?  Make their own of  course and that's just what I did.

I used sketch #284 from Sketch-n-scrap as inspiration.

I find that using sketches is my go-to way of creating currently as I usually don't have much time available and it's nice to have a jumping-off point to get going.

I'm also playing along with Lasting Memories thankful challenge- die cuts

as I used three die cuts from the Vickie Buton Kit ( large circle, arrow, ruler, and record) along with cutting my own dies (feathers) which I cut in three different sizes on plain card stock and then drew on them with black pen for added details.  Love how it turned out.  Really complements the photo subject too.

Thanks for stopping by

 

Stick it down November single page

I finished another layout today and will be submitting it to the facebook group along with applying for a design team spot.  Wish me luck

I love the simplicity of the single-page sketch and it was perfect for documenting my son's Boy Scout Lock-in

I used some dimensional tape to pop up the black strip in the border and the title.  I choose to push the title to the left to create space for journaling which my son and husband need to do.

Thanks for stopping by

November sketch and Tic tac toe

 

The weather is wet and cold so what better way to spend my day off than inside scrapping. 

 I'm playing along with Rochelle's November sketch and Stacy's tic-tac-toe

I did the top row 

Sticker:  I cut the pine bough border sticker and backed it with card stock to make it rigid.

Banner: Like the one in the sketch but I added metallic green stitching

1 photo:  I went a bit larger than the square photo like the sketch as I wanted all of the trailer in the photo

 

Other than the photo size I stated fairly true to the sketch

Thanks for stopping by to take a look.

Anything goes at UYS

 We have a bonus challenge this month with an anything-goes theme,

 so show us your project at Use Your Stuff.

I have been working on getting my 2023 photos into an album and am up to Spring vacation and my trip to Las Vegas with my adventure buddies.

I used CM "leave nothing behind" designer paper.  I wasn't crazy about the pattern on the B side and the A side looked more like the Grand Canyon than the area we visited so I created a sunburst featuring both sides.  Roughed up the edges for extra texture and to hide that the edges didn't match perfectly.

Double-matted the photos so that they would stand out from the background.  The center photo popped up to be more of a focal point as it has the trail name on the post.  "Girl Scout Trail" in Red Rock Canyon

I met my good friends Crystal and Tami through Girl Scouts so we thought that hiking this trail would be the perfect way to end our trip.

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to share you anything goes project with us at Use Your Stuff

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Fall mood board at UYS

 

Fall is in the air and it's time for a mood board challenge.

Small type with UYS

We have a new challenge over at Use Your Stuff.

 Small Type (use small words or alphabets on your project)

I just finished documenting my son's freshman year.  Now I need to get my daughter's Junior year done so that I can start working on this year.  I will need to work on her album as events happen as I won't have much time to get it done after graduation and her party.

I used a pre-made die cut that goes with the fall papers and the sentiment works great to document the first day of school 2022

Thanks for stopping by.  Make sure to join us over at UYS

Hand drawn lines with UYS

 We have such a simple challenge for you this week at Use Your Stuff.  We just want to see some hand-drawn lines on your project.  It could be a faux border, a squiggle, part of a design, a mat around a picture, lots of possibilities.

 I like using lines to anchor my journaling and add a pop of color.  The yellow lines I drew are perfect for that.  I stretched myself a little more with something a little different as I drew the cross-country logo.  The arrow is a bit funky but it fills an otherwise blank space.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look.  Make sure to join us at Use Your Stuff

Borders with UYS

 I'm not one to typically use borders on my projects and when I do I tend to alter them like I did on this card. 

Use Your Stuff is challenging us to use borders on our projects. ( top, bottom, side, decorative or plain)

CM NSD bundle had a lemon/ lime border which I cut shorter for the card front then cut a few pieces to flip to the lemon side to bring in more of the yellow.  I stilll have a few chunkc that I can use on another project, but for now I just need to fill in the message before I head out on my next trip.  Little surprise for my husband

Thanks for stopping by to take a look.  Make sure you also stop by https://useyourstuff.blogspot.com

Vintage with UYS

Hey all.  I intended to have a project to share for the current challenge at Use Your Stuff but I just got back from a week in Victoria BC.  I might get a layout done with the photos from High tea at the Empress hotel but for now pop on over to Use Your Stuff for the Vintage challenge (add some sort of vintage element, think lace, pearls, image, etc.)

My tea was blue- "Blue Suede Shoe"

COLD SMOKED SALMON
upland cress, lemon cream cheese, brioche
HAM & CHEESE
shaved grandfather leg ham, aged white cheddar, tarragon-apple mayonnaise, sourdough
CORONATION CHICKEN SALAD
house-roasted farmhouse chicken, curry infused sweet onions, brioche
EGG MAYONNAISE
free run egg salad, fine herbs, horseradish, butter croissant
SUN WING FARMS ENGLISH CUCUMBER
dill whipped cream cheese, fennel pollen and pink peppercorn, marble rye
FRESHLY BAKED EMPRESS RAISIN SCONES
served warm with house-made clotted cream & strawberry-vanilla preserves
CARROT CAKE 'OPERA'
spiced carrot cake, cream cheese mousse, walnut praline crunch, apricot glaze
CHOCOLATE & CHERRY TEA CUP
creamy ganache, cherry confit, ruby blossom mousse
STRAWBERRY RICOTTA & OLIVE OIL CAKE
soft ricotta butter cake, mascarpone chantilly, fresh strawberries
CARAMEL PECAN TART
caramelized pecan, vanilla short dough, maple crémeux, white chocolate shavings
LIME & YUZU MACARON
lime meringue almond cookie, white chocolate yuzu ganache 

Recycled element

  Use Your Stuff theme is Recycled, Upcycled!  Your challenge is to add something to your project that was once something else! 
It could be cardboard, or perhaps you used some saran wrap or bubble wrap to do a mixed media element, what about a napkin technique, or maybe even cutting out some elements from magazines or flyers as die cuts.  Lots of exciting possibilities for this one! 
I love repurposing things so this challenge is something I try to do regularly.  While this project isn’t paper it sure is recycled/ repurposed.

I've been doing a bunch of hiking this summer.  

Every Friday I head out to hit the trail.  My goal is to do 4-6 miles each time. I always carry the ten essentials with me plus a few extra items.  My 5x7 tarp  is one of those helpful items I carry.  For the longest time it has been riding around in a plastic bag, but I made it a custom pouch from an upcycled shirt.

wish I had taken a before photo but this is the best I could do.

I loved the graphic on the shirt but not the banding on the sleeves as it's tight on the upper arm and I wasn't a fan of the hoodie either

finished this pouch off with a small piece of paracord and a toggle.

I hope I inspired you to upcycle or recycle an item in a crafty way.

Make sure to share it with us at Use Your Stuff

Small clusters with UYS

 I'm back again with another Use Your Stuff challenge tiny items to make small clusters.
Not going to lie this one is hard for me because I like to use a variety of sizes to build my clusters.  

I'm currently working on documenting my son's freshman year before the next year starts again.  Hopefully, I'll get it done soon but have been slammed with finishing details for my daughter's cottage remodel project.

I wouldn't classify my embellishment items as tiny, in fact, I used a small, and two medium-ish pieces to make my cluster.  Now show us your clusters at Use Your Stuff

Summer mood board with UYS

 

Now that we are well into summer it's time for the Use Your Stuff summer mood board challenge.  Make a project inspired by the board.  It could be the bright bold colors, beach, pool, water, sunglasses, flipflops.

I've had a busy couple of days with travel/ hiking and getting ready for summer school.  I'll try to get some inspiration up for you in the next few days.  Till then have fun with this fantastic mood board