Inspired by A Sweethaven Summer

I have been in a creative funk for the last couple months...add to that shoulder tendinitis and then a bout of pneumonia and you have zero layouts!  I was able to get my book done that I was teaching at CKC and was able to teach the class with only a few coughing fits thrown in!

Now that I feel much better, I wanted to do a layout using some of the stuff I bought at CKC!  I found this contest, Inspired by A Sweethaven Summer and knew exactly the pictures I wanted to use!  This is a book by Courtney Walsh and it looks wonderful...combining 2 of my favorite things reading and scrapbooking!  Doesn't get better than that!

On Courtney Walsh's site, she is having a contest to be inspired by the book or some layouts that some friends of hers had done and make your own layout! She said to choose one of the layouts for inspiration but I couldn't pick just one!  Here is mine and below it is my inspiration!  I can't wait to get my hands on this book!

 My layout is about taking the kids to the same beach that I grew up going to and how that brings back my summer memories!

I liked the color palette from this layout by Vicki Boutin.

From Anabelle O'Malley, I got the idea to use black and white photos and the little camera!

I absolutely loved all the punched borders on Lisa VanderVeen's layout, and although I don't think I did it quite as well as she did, I used that idea too!  I also decided to make my layout a double like her.

Greta Hammond's layout about Vacation Memories was my inspiration about what to scrap!

 

Top 10 Layouts of 2011

I did this last year and it is a fun way to see some favorite layouts altogether.  I included a couple mini albums since I do so many of those!

 

 You can see all of the Play, Imagine, Pretend album here.

You can see all of the Seattle album here.

Sweet and Spooky

Hi everybody!  I hope you are enjoying your fall season and getting lots of crafting in!

I had planned on using the Phantom paper from Pink Paislee on a non-Halloween layout because it is so versatile!  But as I sat down to work on it...I just loved all the embellishments that are definitely Halloween!  I hardly ever stamp on my layouts (I think this is due to laziness!) but I stamped with 4 different stamps on this!  The set of Halloween stamps from Pink Paislee has some really fun ones!

I used the Punky Sprouts new lil blossoms on this as well.  I sprayed them with Glimmer Mist...they are a little waxy and don't take the mist great but since I wanted this to have a grungy feel, it worked perfectly!  I sprayed 2 with Peach Delight and 2 with Granite.  While they were still wet, I dabbed off the excess mist and layered them, alternating colors.  Then I put one of the Pink Paislee brads through the center and scrunched the layers until I was happy with how it looked.

Speed Scrapbooking!

I am a super slow scrapbooker!  It often takes me 3 or 4 hours to get a layout done.  And getting 4 done in a whole day of scrapping is quite an accomplishment for me.  I have been busy this week and my science assignment for Scrapdango's School's In challenge, got put on hold.  Yesterday I realized that it was due that night!  I had a dentist appointment in the morning and then a xc meet that I had to leave for at 2.  I started this layout a little after noon and finished with plenty of time to spare to pack up for the meet!  Considering that I cut out all those hexagons in that time as well...I was pretty happy!

The assignment was to use hexagons, have at least 30% of our layout be green and to use something botanical.

My friend Leah had done a strip of hexagons on a layout awhile ago and I made a mental note to try it and this was the push I needed! 

Back to School!

It is back to school time for the kids, my teacher husband and me!  What it means for me is the Back to School event at Scrapdango!  I was so excited for this, this year!  Last year, I was their design team coordinator and therefore couldn't play although making up the challenges is fun too! :)

So far, there have been 2 assignments due.  The first was the PE class.  We had to have an action photo, a circle and show movement.  Extra Credit was to use the word team (which I did not do).

The second class was Math.  We had to have a visual triangle (my 3 photos), an actual triangle (my banner) and extra credit was to use another shape (circle).

And in case you are wondering...I gave up on the 30 Days of Photos.  September is just not the month for me to try something like that...I'm not sure what I was thinking! :)  When things calm down a bit...like there isn't soccer or xc every night...I'll probably try again!

I {Heart} Baker's Twine

I rarely post about giveaways unless it is a team I am on but this one is so good it has to be shared!  The Twinery is giving away 2 complete sets of their baker's twine!  I love this stuff!  And their colors are amazing!  You can find all the details HERE.

Here is what you can win.  Isn't it pretty?

And in case you aren't familiar with Baker's Twine and are wondering what you would do with it...here are a few of my projects where I have used it!

Geology Geek

I did this layout a couple months ago while at the beach with some friends and just realized that it never made it up on my blog!  Thought it was good timing to post it since my Geology Geek is currently on a science field trip with about 80 of his high school students!  Thanks for looking!

Cocoa Daisy Crop

Last weekend, one of my favorite online sites, Cocoa Daisy, had their spring crop.  With tons (well, 18) of challenges, fun games, great classes, and some great RAKS it was hard to keep up! :)  I had some great aspirations of getting a lot of layouts done, especially since they give the week after to get them done.  But, life keeps happening even when I want to scrap! :)  Pretty happy that I got 3 done though.

Patterns and Colors Challenge:  For this one there was a picture of some fabric that we were to use for inspiration.  They were very bright and had lots of different patterns and I immediately thought of this MME paper.  We also had to use circles or squares, mist and a border punch.  I just love how this one turned out!

 

Standing in a Line Challenge:  Pretty obvious from the name...this one we had to use lines of some sort.  I had my pictures in a line, used strips of paper in a line and doodled a line for the border.  There were so many pictures for this, I kept it super simple...even for me! :)

Night Market Challenge:  This challenge was to use black as the background and use pictures of something at night.  These were the only night pictures I had and they aren't good but I still wanted to scrap them and this seemed the perfect time!  Not my best layout but glad to have the story down!

Big Year!

As the school year winds down, I finished up this First Day of School layout.  This was a big year for us as far as school goes.  Erin started preschool and Isaac started 1st grade so it was his first experience with full day.  I just love these pictures of them...even if it was raining!  Erin was a tad bit nervous and sort of had the giggles but kept looking at Isaac as if to see what to do! 

Waiting for Summer!

The weather here in Oregon has been the pits this spring!  At one point we had had 3 days 60 degrees or above and the average was 17!  It has been cold and rainy!  Today the HIGH is supposed to only hit 55 and tomorrow 50!  Brrrrrr!
This is what I am dreaming about these days!

The Boy Next Door

Recently I went to the beach with a couple friends for a little scrapbooking retreat!  I think it was my most productive scrapbooking weekend ever!  I got 4 layouts completed, 2 done except for some little touches, 3 cards done, 3 ATCs ready to send and an entire Punky album done too!  May not sound like much in a whole weekend, but that's pretty good for me! 
I took a lot of sketches and challenges in the hopes that they would keep me motivated and without scrapper's block!  This sketch from Sassafras was so fun to do!  It was the first layout of the weekend that I completed! 

Their sketch:

My layout:

Final Scrapdango Reveal

I am sad to say that this is my final reveal for Scrapdango.  I have been the dt coordinator there for about a year and a half and it has been wonderful!  But I felt it was time for a change both for me and them!  And while it is sad to be stepping down...I can't wait to play along with their challenges!  I loved them even before I was on the dt!  Here are my April creations with the Sugar kit!

It's been awhile since I did a layout of the dog!  This is using the April sketch at CocoaDaisy.

While I had the sewing machine out, I had some fun with different stitches!

A bookmark I made for myself!

A card a bit more on the masculine side even though I used the sugar kit!

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Jillibean Soup

Unfortunately, it is no April Fool's Day joke that I didn't make the Jillibean Soup design team.  I did however love all the projects that I made in the trying out process!  Thought I'd show you the ones that I hadn't already.  I look forward to trying again next year!

And, although I've shown this one before...I can't resist reposting it today for April Fool's Day! :)

March Scrapdango Reveal!

I got to work with the Sugar Kit this month and it is gorgeous!  This Twig line by Little Yellow Bicycle has great patterns!  You can see the kits here!

Speaking of Jillibean Soup...

they are having a design team call and I am throwing my hat in the ring!  This is the first manufacturer call that I have really gone all out...making new projects for it!  Usually I see it at the last minute and just use what I have.  But since Jillibean is a favorite and I follow their blog and on Facebook, I caught the call early!  I wanted to show some of the older Jillibean Soup layouts and projects I have done as well!  I'll show my new layouts when the call is over!

Another Punky Sprouts album.  You can see the whole thing on the Punky blog!

 

A card I made for the design team call...it was one of 3 I made and they only wanted 2...this one got cut!  Although I still like it! :)

 

My first layout about a TV show!  This was right after Lost ended and we had done a little party and I made a bunch of "Dharma Initiative" food as decorations!

 

A double page spread.  This is one of my favorite layouts for the story of it!  This is Isaac with Patty, our Camp Sherman cook!  He's a pretty smart kid but she has had him convinced...for the last 2 years!!!...that the seads he is mixing with water and putting by the fire really do cook into bread!  The resulting bread looks an awful lot like leftover hot dog buns, muffins and bagels! :)

 

A Christmas card made with not Christmas paper!  I love doing that!  And it also has Glimmer Mist...one of my favorite things to do!

 

 A super simple layout of some not great photos of Erin who had to get up on the table to clean because she couldn't reach the middle!  I know it's not a perfect layout or pictures but the story is precious!

 One of my favorite things to make with scraps...mini cards!  I love tucking them into gifts or Isaac's lunchbox!