Destination Italy - CMS #52

My take on Color Me Scrappy #52.

I'm going to start out by saying that this LO did not turn out the way I had envisioned in my head.  I find it quite frustrating when this happens.

Discover - Scrap Friends

Oops, I missed the deadline for the November sketch for Scrap Friends.  I thought I would share it anyway...

 

My mother-in-law rode our bikes across Michigan this summer.  A total of 362 miles in 6 days.  I believe it was on day 2 that we came across this bridge.  I'm not exactly sure where we were at, but I thought it was just beautiful.

 

Lots of texture on this page.  I used modeling paste for the chevrons.  The feathers, I cut out with my Silhouette Cameo and then stitched them on in rows.

 

I didn't want the frames to take away from the photo, so I left them white, but angled them to make them pop.

 

The coolest part of this picture, in my opinion, was that it was someone's driveway.  It leaves something for the imagination because we couldn't see the house.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Joy - 123 Challenge

Oh, how I loved this challenge!  123 Challenge does a great job of putting together their challenges!  This time around, they have:

* COLOUR = METALLICS
* WORD = JOY
* TECHNIQUE = BOWS

 

 

 

 

I have these fabulous silver sequin bows that I had every intention of using, but when I started to go through my papers, this red and yellow really jumped out at me.  It ended up being a bit more muted than I wanted.

 

Needless to say, the silver bows just didn't match.  There is a bow on my page, but it is very small and made from baker's twine.

 

So, to get my metallic requirement in there, I used gold paint splatters on the page.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Me - Challenge YOUrself

I'm so excited to be a part of the Challenge YOUrself DT.  Today is the first reveal.  If you followed my link from the site, welcome!  If you are a regular follower of my blog, be sure to check out the newest challenge blog.  The concept is truly unique.

 

 

Challenge YOUrself #1: Behind The Lens

Create a layout using a self portrait or selfie AND list a minimum of 3 random facts about YOUrself.

 

 

 

I started this page by first taking about 50 selfies in the bathroom mirror.  In this pic, I cropped off my bathroom mirror frame as well as my camera, in which I was holding in my outstretched hand.

 

I also took this picture after I went to the hair stylist and had full make-up on.  Isn't that terrible!  This challenge blog is going to force me to be in more pictures, which is really what it should be.  Why do I have to participate in a challenge blog for this to happen?  Sad, isn't it?

 

I start out most of my pages the same way.  I search through my box of scraps to see what tickles my fancy.  I had this concept in my head before I started, so I knew the scrap sizes didn't need to be huge.

 

I laid them out and then found my BG.  Before gluing, I thought it looked too square (ha ha), so I added the circles with black marker and the stamp of the torn paper.

 

I have great handwriting, but seem to write on a slant, so I decided to type my random facts about myself.

 

Then I added the embellies...

 

Thanks for stopping by and I can't wait to see what you all create!  Have fun!

Challenge YOUrself DT

I'm so excited to announce that I am a DT member of a new challenge blog called Challenge YOUrself.

Some time ago (like 2 years ago or more), I started an ABC album about me.  I thought it would be nice to have an album just about me, so my kids would have something that really was ALL about their mom.

As most scrapbookers, we are the one behind the lens and we end up in very few LOs.  I love the concept behind this new challenge blog for a couple of reasons:

1. I'll be able to finally finish this album.
2. This is truly going to be a challenge for me because I'm over critical of any picture I'm in.

Come along on this journey with me!  It will be challenging and fun all in one trip!

Treasured Time - 123 Challenge

Oh how I love me some turquoise!  And if you look enough on the internet, you can find some inspiration.  It is everywhere you turn!  Sometimes, I get inspired by colors.  Other times, by shapes or textures.  This time around, I liked the inspiration at 123 Challenge, which combines 3 different forms of inspiration and I love combining it all into one layout!

 

I started with a hexagon mask and a clock mask by Tim Holtz.

 

Next, I started through my scrap paper box and found this yummy polka-dot pp.  It was too crisp and clean for my liking, so I crumpled it up and inked it to give it a little texture.

 

After inking everything to my liking, I started layering, but felt it was missing something.  I added the smaller clock stamp under the work "time".

 

A few inked embellies and a title and I was done!

Miss This Boy - CMS #50

Oh how I loved these colors at Color Me Scrappy!

They seemed very soothing, but I didn't have a picture in mind when I started designing this page.  Has anyone ever worked through their design first and then found a picture later?  That's what I did with this page.

I started pulling colors together first.  The twist this time around was to use texture.  I knew that I had a piece of rusty metal left somewhere, so I started the search...  I found it and knew that it belonged on this page.  I also added the burlap and the wood fence.

 

It was then time to find a picture.

 

This little boy was a neighbor kid that lived down the street when we lived in KY.  He was Ethan best friend.  They spent a lot of time together and when we moved, it was quite sad.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Smile - CMS #49

OMG!  I forgot to update my blog with the latest challenge from Color Me Scrappy!  I loved working with these colors and this page really just fell together so easily.  I love it when that happens!

I'm not sure if you know, but I'm also the sketch designer at Color Me Scrappy.  I knew that when I created this sketch that I wanted to use a photo strip of some sort, but the ones I had really didn't match the colors.  So, what is a scrapbooker to do???  Well, I made my own with the school pictures of my boys!

Here are the colors and the sketch:

 

 

And my result:

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!



He Holds My Heart - 123 Challenge

I'm excited that my marathon is complete.  I successfully ran 26.2 miles and I have the finishers medal to prove it!  My running routine will be drastically reduced which means my scrapbooking time with be drastically increased!  Yeah me!

Yellow is one of my new favorite colors, so when I came across this months challenge at 123 Challenge, I knew that I had to participate...

The requirements:
1.  Yellow
2.  Mixed Alphas in Title
3.  The word "Heart"

 

I started with plain white cardstock BG and spritzed and dropped yellow spray ink Dylusions by Ranger.  To be honest, it looked like someone urinated on my page...  so, I added black spray ink.  LOL!

 

Sometimes, the best paper is in my scrap box.  It is one of my first go-to places and was happy with what I found there.  In fact, all my paper on this page, with the exception of the BG is scraps.

 

 

 

A pic of a close-up of the title...

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Some Pages Inspired by Pinterest

Summer here in Michigan seems so short, so I spend a lot of my time outside with my boys.  Instead of scrapping during the summer, I'm out making the memories that I will scrap through the fall and the gloomy winter.  Needless to say, the activity level on my blog has suffered as a result.  I'm getting back into the swing of things now and have been busy getting some pages done.

I'm not sure where you get your inspiration, but for me, a lot comes from this little site call Pinterest.  I go through phases with this site.  It's a love / hate relationship.  Sometimes, I can spend hours searching for inspiration for scrapbooking, gardening, interior design, and much more.  And at other times, I can go weeks without looking at the site.

Anyways, I'm hoping these pages inspire others...

 

This was taken at Kalahari in Sandusky, Ohio.  Eric and I took our 2 boys and 2 of their friends to the indoor waterpark there.  We didn't know, but there was a ropes course there as well.  And of course, my boys had to give it a go!

 

 

 

 

 

Last year, we surprised the boys with a trip to Disney World.

 

I love the simplicity of this page.  I think it took me longer to choose the paper than it took me to put the entire page together.  Love those!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Get it in Gear - CMS #46

I absolutely loved this color combo from Color Me Scrappy.  I thought for sure that I could do a "beachy" LO, but while away on a scrappy night with some girlfriends, they gave me an idea to do a page with this wallet size photos of this car.

We were at the Indianapolis 500 Museum and my husband got carried away with taking pictures of all these cars.  My initial thought was to print them in wallet size and then throw all of them on one LO and move on.  Ha!  That didn't work out, because now I have a page of just one car.  I think maybe I'll stick to my original plan for the remaining photos.

Happiest Place on Earth - CMS #45

This is my last crunch time page.  School starts on Tuesday and I will have more time to be creative.  It seems like I've been cramming for a test, hours before, and in some cases, that's exactly what I'm doing.  The reveal goes live at midnight and it's 11 PM and I'm just taking pictures.  **sigh**

As I said, school starts on Tuesday and I'm making mimosas for the bus stop...  he he!  Don't you wish you lived closer??

I'm still behind the game on our trip to Disney World.  Slowly working through the stack of photos...  on a positive note, we only took a couple of small vacations this summer, so there won't be as many to scrap.  I might get caught up...  wishful thinking.  The last time I was caught up in my scrapbooking was when my computer lost it's hard drive and I lost years and years of pictures...  Yikes!

Below is the color palette and the sketch from Color Me Scrappy...  challenge 45.

 

 

 

And my take on it...

 

I know, I know, I only used 1 photo and made it into 3, but there really wasn't 3 photos that I wanted to use on one page.  I struggle with that.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

My Creative Space

My boys went to camp last week.  They were gone Monday - Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM.  What is a scrapbooker to do???  You might think that I would have taken this time to scrapbook, but what I did instead was finish my scrappy space so that once school starts, I'll be ready to roll.

 

This is my storage center behind my table.  It is currently a fold-up plastic table.  I am on the hunt for a buffet or a console table to place there.  Nothing to inspiring here, but it does hold my goodies within reach and not requiring me to stand, which I don't like to do once I start a page.

Next to the table is a rack I found at a flea market for $10.  It was love at first site.  It has about 100 clips on it and it spins for easy access.  It's made of heavy duty metal, so it's really stable since some embellies can get quite heavy!

This is one of my latest garage sale finds.  A corner shelf for all my mists and inks.  This may end up getting painted, but for now it does its job well.

The curtain to the left is my inspiration for the room.  I found this at Pier One in the clearance about a year ago.  Unfortunately, it has been the only one I've been able to find.  So, my window is a bit lopsided at this point.  I continue to hunt for another, but if not, I'll have to come up with an alternate plan...  maybe a valance.

 

I found this table on Craigslist when we still lived in Kentucky and I thought is would be a great table to refinish and use in my new room!  I've been using it since we moved to Michigan, over a year ago, and it just did not inspire me.  So, I stripped it down, darkened the top to a warmer tone and painted the legs yellow, my new favorite!

My jar of washi in the upper left corner of my desk is my latest addition, along with my desk organizer (thanks to a 50% off Michaels coupon).

 

 

Here is a better look at my legs, well, not MY legs, but the table.  Isn't that a yummy yellow!!!  The tin buckets hold all my paint.  You can find these buckets at Home Depot for cheap!  My next little project will be adding burlap around them and stencil something on them.  It sure beats paying over $10 per bucket already done!

 

 

This is another storage shelf I have.  This shelf was made by my good friend Curt.  It was inspired by those VERY expensive shelves in Pottery Barn for like $300.  I thought, there is NO WAY I'm spending that much, so $80 and a home cooked meal later, I have these!

 

 

I am fortunate enough to have a walk-in closet in my space.  It has not been tackled yet, but this is what I have so far.  At least it has a door so I can hide it if need arises! 

 

 

This is my grandmother's sewing machine.  When I was a baby, over 40 years ago, she used to make my clothes.  She was a seamstress and I had the cutest clothes around.  My mother-in-law had the sewing machine gone through quite a few years back and it works as good as new!  I'm not sure what my grandmother would say if she knew I was sewing paper together rather than material.  As I was typing this, I just had the most wonderful thought...  I actually have a dress that she made that is yellow and would look quite beautiful framed and hung above the sewing machine.  Pictures to come later on that!

 

Now this, is an old window from my maternal grandmother's house where she grew up.  The farm house is or was falling down and at a family reunion, we had an auction to raise money.  Either way, my mom won and it now hangs on my wall.

 

As you can tell, I am not afraid of color.  It is one of the simplest things to change in a room.  I also don't like to spend money on new items when I KNOW I can find something or make something very similar for much less.  Call me fragile, cheap, thrifty, or whatever, but the joy of creating far outweighs the joy of spending.

 

I hope you have enjoyed the tour of my space.  Feel free to leave some comments.  I'd love to know what you think of my space.