Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Frosted Designs Sketch Along Tuesday #18
This week's sketch called for one photo. But, since I rarely make one photo layouts, I modified it and made a collage of photos to fit in the space. The pictures are from last spring when the girls helped me water the flowers in front of our house. I used K and Company Berry Patch papers and the mushroom and flowers in the bottom right corner are from the "Live Simply" Cricut cartridge. Head on over to Frosted Designs and check out what the rest of the design team did with the sketch and try it for yourself!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday: Black and White + 1
The current Friday challenge at Frosted Designs is to use black and white and one other color of your choice on a project. I decided to make an anniversary card for my sister and brother-in-law. The bridesmaid dresses for their wedding were a pool blue color so I tried to imitate that color.
For the circle, I used glossy cardstock and swirled blue alcohol ink and pearl mixitive on it. The black cardstock behind it was embossed and then rubbed with silver ink to make the embossing pop. Finally, I cut black flowers in half and used them as a border around the circle. Pull our your black and white materials and get creating!
For the circle, I used glossy cardstock and swirled blue alcohol ink and pearl mixitive on it. The black cardstock behind it was embossed and then rubbed with silver ink to make the embossing pop. Finally, I cut black flowers in half and used them as a border around the circle. Pull our your black and white materials and get creating!
PageMaps Contest
There is a contest going on right now at PageMaps for 3 full collections of Best Creations paper. The challenge was to use the sketch below. I used it for my July calendar page, so I modified it a bit to work with my 8 1/2 x 11" format.
The background I used for this layout was a piece I made after I made the star paper for this calendar page.
The template had so much excess ink on it, I didn't want it to go to waste, so I pulled out a blank sheet of white cardstock and pressed the template onto it for the reverse print. It isn't perfect, but I like that it is a little "distressed."
The background I used for this layout was a piece I made after I made the star paper for this calendar page.
The template had so much excess ink on it, I didn't want it to go to waste, so I pulled out a blank sheet of white cardstock and pressed the template onto it for the reverse print. It isn't perfect, but I like that it is a little "distressed."
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Month of Cards: Part 3: Sketches
I used a couple of sketches as inspiration for some of my cards- it just so happens they were both for my grandmas who celebrate their birthdays this month.
The first was a sketch from Sketches: Creatively Yours, which is normally a sketch site for layouts, but they had a card sketch this time. I also tried a technique that was on Practical Scrappers not too long ago. The technique was called embedded embossing which is to emboss more than one layer of paper together. I tried it with the background paper and three panels on this card. The embossing wasn't as pronounced as I would've liked, but I have something I will try next time. Overall, it is a cool effect though. I also used a cut from my "Botanicals" Cricut cartridge and then used water color pencils to color it. The colors were not as dark as I wanted after I wet them so I went over it with the pencils while the paper was still damp and it turned out great! The pencils colored so smoothly on damp paper! Anyway, here is the sketch and the card.
Next is a sketch from Card Patterns. This is their current sketch. I stuck pretty close to the sketch, the only difference was that instead of a ribbon across the top, I hand cut some elements from scraps of the patterned paper and pop dotted them over the same elements for some depth and interest.
Finally, here is the anniversary card I made for my husband (we celebrated 7 years this past Sunday). I got the idea for the stamping on the right side from flipping through a Stampin' Up catalog. Keep your old catalogs because there is so much inspiration to be had from just flipping through them. You can use the cards in there as a sketch or they can just give you an idea for an element- try it next time you are stuck!
The first was a sketch from Sketches: Creatively Yours, which is normally a sketch site for layouts, but they had a card sketch this time. I also tried a technique that was on Practical Scrappers not too long ago. The technique was called embedded embossing which is to emboss more than one layer of paper together. I tried it with the background paper and three panels on this card. The embossing wasn't as pronounced as I would've liked, but I have something I will try next time. Overall, it is a cool effect though. I also used a cut from my "Botanicals" Cricut cartridge and then used water color pencils to color it. The colors were not as dark as I wanted after I wet them so I went over it with the pencils while the paper was still damp and it turned out great! The pencils colored so smoothly on damp paper! Anyway, here is the sketch and the card.
Next is a sketch from Card Patterns. This is their current sketch. I stuck pretty close to the sketch, the only difference was that instead of a ribbon across the top, I hand cut some elements from scraps of the patterned paper and pop dotted them over the same elements for some depth and interest.
Finally, here is the anniversary card I made for my husband (we celebrated 7 years this past Sunday). I got the idea for the stamping on the right side from flipping through a Stampin' Up catalog. Keep your old catalogs because there is so much inspiration to be had from just flipping through them. You can use the cards in there as a sketch or they can just give you an idea for an element- try it next time you are stuck!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Month of Cards: Part 2: Happy Father's Day!
I made three Father's Day cards last week: one for my dad, one for my father-in-law and one for Rick's grandpa. I also made a birthday card for our niece for her 15th birthday.
For our niece's card I used a sketch from the blog "Card Patterns". I am really liking their sketches, I have already used their next one! My biggest challenge for this card was finding embellishments that were sophisticated enough for a 15-year-old. My girls are little, so I don't have much for older girls... yet. I eventually found this cute dress in a pack of Thickers chipboard from Scrapfest last year. I tried using a rub on that said "One of a Kind", but it didn't show up very well, so I covered that with the "Wow" die cut. (By the way, the side circles say "Smile".)
For the Father's Day cards I used the tutorial Colette posted last month on Challenge Masters (which, sadly, is now closed). The tutorial was to make these cute shirts. It is actually really easy! You can add a tie, buttons, pockets, whatever fits. I really like how the tie looks, but since my dad only wears a tie to funerals and weddings, I thought buttons (well, actually eyelets) would be more appropriate.
For Rick's grandpa, I used used my texture boutique to add some texture and then rubbed my gold metallic ink pad across the texture to make it stand out.
For our niece's card I used a sketch from the blog "Card Patterns". I am really liking their sketches, I have already used their next one! My biggest challenge for this card was finding embellishments that were sophisticated enough for a 15-year-old. My girls are little, so I don't have much for older girls... yet. I eventually found this cute dress in a pack of Thickers chipboard from Scrapfest last year. I tried using a rub on that said "One of a Kind", but it didn't show up very well, so I covered that with the "Wow" die cut. (By the way, the side circles say "Smile".)
For the Father's Day cards I used the tutorial Colette posted last month on Challenge Masters (which, sadly, is now closed). The tutorial was to make these cute shirts. It is actually really easy! You can add a tie, buttons, pockets, whatever fits. I really like how the tie looks, but since my dad only wears a tie to funerals and weddings, I thought buttons (well, actually eyelets) would be more appropriate.
For Rick's grandpa, I used used my texture boutique to add some texture and then rubbed my gold metallic ink pad across the texture to make it stand out.
Monday, June 20, 2011
I Heart Faces: Let's Hear it for the Boys!
When I saw this was the challenge for this week, I just had to enter! I have hundreds of photos of my boy. Here is one from a few days ago. This is a rare shot because Will doesn't love to crawl in the grass and I just love the look of determination on his face!
Project 365 Week 44
I took a couple of photos on my phone this week because I had forgotten the camera, but I didn't miss any days! It is getting to be a challenge for find new things to photograph!
6/13 The girls rolling down the hill in our backyard.
6/14 Rick playing soccer with his co-workers at lunch. (We like to come sometimes with a picnic lunch to watch.
6/15 Addy working on a puzzle at the library. She has been really into doing puzzles lately.
6/16 Ellie filling a bucket from the sprinkler.
6/17 What happened here? I'm not sure, but I can tell you what I think happened...
I think Will got bored in his crib during naptime and pulled the animals down from where they sit on the back of his crib. He threw the zebra overboard, and shoved the ostrich and giraffe through the slats where they got caught. Any other guesses? :)
6/18 All 3 kids playing with Duplos. The girls put them together in the form of houses, and Will pulls them apart.
6/19 Happy Father's Day. Here is Rick "nurturing" Will. ;) They have fun rough housing together.
6/13 The girls rolling down the hill in our backyard.
6/14 Rick playing soccer with his co-workers at lunch. (We like to come sometimes with a picnic lunch to watch.
6/15 Addy working on a puzzle at the library. She has been really into doing puzzles lately.
6/16 Ellie filling a bucket from the sprinkler.
6/17 What happened here? I'm not sure, but I can tell you what I think happened...
I think Will got bored in his crib during naptime and pulled the animals down from where they sit on the back of his crib. He threw the zebra overboard, and shoved the ostrich and giraffe through the slats where they got caught. Any other guesses? :)
6/18 All 3 kids playing with Duplos. The girls put them together in the form of houses, and Will pulls them apart.
6/19 Happy Father's Day. Here is Rick "nurturing" Will. ;) They have fun rough housing together.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Memorial Day '10
I did this layout earlier this week. I used a sketch from Sketch Support. I liked the stars in this one and I thought they worked well with the Memorial Day/ patriotic theme. I added a twist to the red, white, and blue color scheme and added some pink and used cream rather than a true white. I pulled out all the stars I could find (shoot, now what am I going to use for all my boy pages??), sprayed them with pink and blue Glimmer Mist and edged them with cream paint. I stuck pretty close to the sketch, just adjusting it a bit for the number and size of my photos. Here are the sketch and my layout.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Frosted Designs Sketch Along Tuesday #17
Today the new sketch was revealed at Frosted Designs and it's a 2 pager!! I have been doing a lot of two pagers lately as I have had lots of photos to fit on my pages.
For this sketch, I decided to do a layout I've been thinking about since Will was born. Since he made us "wait" (his sisters were born at 36 and 37 weeks and he at 39), we found lots of things to do to keep our (okay, my) mind off of they fact that I was still pregnant. We had taken pictures of several of the fun things we did, so I put together this layout. I used my Cricut and "New Arrival" cartridge for the stork. I also found a clock stamp and, instead of carrying a baby, the stork is carrying a clock. :)
You can see what the rest of the design team did here. You can also enter your interpretation of the sketch for a chance to win some fabulous flowers and trim made by our design team's very own Debbie!
For this sketch, I decided to do a layout I've been thinking about since Will was born. Since he made us "wait" (his sisters were born at 36 and 37 weeks and he at 39), we found lots of things to do to keep our (okay, my) mind off of they fact that I was still pregnant. We had taken pictures of several of the fun things we did, so I put together this layout. I used my Cricut and "New Arrival" cartridge for the stork. I also found a clock stamp and, instead of carrying a baby, the stork is carrying a clock. :)
You can see what the rest of the design team did here. You can also enter your interpretation of the sketch for a chance to win some fabulous flowers and trim made by our design team's very own Debbie!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Project 365 Week 43
The week started out hot (it was over 100 degrees on Tuesday) and ended with us wearing sweatshirts and staying inside. We had lots of fun though!
6/6 This is how Will sleeps best: with the blanket pulled up over his face.
6/7 One of our friend's parents have a pool (and they live nearby) so we spent the hottest day in about 20 years hanging out by the pool (Thanks Taryn!). Here is Will having a blast playing in the water table NEXT to the pool.
6/8 Today we went to the library. Will had fun playing with all of the toys and undermining Addy's efforts to put together puzzles. (Doesn't he look like trouble? :))
6/9 We went to a concert at Nicollet Commons park at lunch. The girls had fun standing up by the other kids and the performers. Here's Addy taking a peak back at Will and me on the blanket.
6/10 It was chilly out today so we went to "nastics" (as Ellie likes to call it). One of the local gyms has open gym on Fridays and the kids can play on all of the real gymnastics apparatus. Here's Ellie playing with one of the ribbons.
6/11 I glanced out the window after dinner and noticed this woodpecker on an old stump in our neighbor's yard. He eventually flew up on to one of our trees (where I caught him in this photo) and then flew away.
6/12 We went to Canterbury Park in the afternoon to watch horse racing. Sundays are Family Day so they have a small petting zoo, free pony rides and free face painting. Here is Addy showing off the horse she had painted on her arm.
6/6 This is how Will sleeps best: with the blanket pulled up over his face.
6/7 One of our friend's parents have a pool (and they live nearby) so we spent the hottest day in about 20 years hanging out by the pool (Thanks Taryn!). Here is Will having a blast playing in the water table NEXT to the pool.
6/8 Today we went to the library. Will had fun playing with all of the toys and undermining Addy's efforts to put together puzzles. (Doesn't he look like trouble? :))
6/9 We went to a concert at Nicollet Commons park at lunch. The girls had fun standing up by the other kids and the performers. Here's Addy taking a peak back at Will and me on the blanket.
6/10 It was chilly out today so we went to "nastics" (as Ellie likes to call it). One of the local gyms has open gym on Fridays and the kids can play on all of the real gymnastics apparatus. Here's Ellie playing with one of the ribbons.
6/11 I glanced out the window after dinner and noticed this woodpecker on an old stump in our neighbor's yard. He eventually flew up on to one of our trees (where I caught him in this photo) and then flew away.
6/12 We went to Canterbury Park in the afternoon to watch horse racing. Sundays are Family Day so they have a small petting zoo, free pony rides and free face painting. Here is Addy showing off the horse she had painted on her arm.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
June Blade Masters Challenge!
Hi all! Happy Sunday to you! I posted my June Blade Masters challenge at Challenge Masters this morning!
There are so many great die cut/shaped papers out there to use on your pages, but they are kind of expensive, so my challenge for you this month is to use your cutting tools to make your own die cut paper! I used my Cricut Expression to cut mine, but you can use a decorative scissors, regular scissors or even punches to do this.
Here is my example. I used the scalloped circle from "Live Simply".
Try it out, and then post your page in the Challenge Masters gallery!
There are so many great die cut/shaped papers out there to use on your pages, but they are kind of expensive, so my challenge for you this month is to use your cutting tools to make your own die cut paper! I used my Cricut Expression to cut mine, but you can use a decorative scissors, regular scissors or even punches to do this.
Here is my example. I used the scalloped circle from "Live Simply".
Try it out, and then post your page in the Challenge Masters gallery!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Month of Cards: Part 1
From June 9th through July 9th, we celebrate 12 birthdays or anniversaries in our family and extended family (that doesn't count Father's Day). So... this is the time of year I make LOTS of cards. Here are three cards that I have made in the last week for various occasions.
The first is a sympathy card I made for a friend whose mom passed away last week. I used the card sketch last week at Sketch Support. Here is the sketch and my take on it:
Next is the current sketch at Cardabilities. This card was a shower card for a friend who is getting married in a few weeks. I moved the smaller circle accents to the left side to cover a small "flaw" my stitching around the big circle.
Finally, an anniversary card. This card was for the Impromptu Challenge at Challenge Masters. The challenge was to make a card that included: 2 patterned papers, 2 buttons (at least), 2 different colors ink, ribbon/thread/jute. I also tried a new technique on this one. I bought some resist ink a couple of weeks ago at an estate sale which I broke out today for the first time. I used the resist ink to stamp the butterfly on glossy cardstock. I used my heat tool to dry the ink and then I took my brayer and rolled some blue and green ink over the butterfly. I think it turned out pretty cool!
The first is a sympathy card I made for a friend whose mom passed away last week. I used the card sketch last week at Sketch Support. Here is the sketch and my take on it:
Next is the current sketch at Cardabilities. This card was a shower card for a friend who is getting married in a few weeks. I moved the smaller circle accents to the left side to cover a small "flaw" my stitching around the big circle.
Finally, an anniversary card. This card was for the Impromptu Challenge at Challenge Masters. The challenge was to make a card that included: 2 patterned papers, 2 buttons (at least), 2 different colors ink, ribbon/thread/jute. I also tried a new technique on this one. I bought some resist ink a couple of weeks ago at an estate sale which I broke out today for the first time. I used the resist ink to stamp the butterfly on glossy cardstock. I used my heat tool to dry the ink and then I took my brayer and rolled some blue and green ink over the butterfly. I think it turned out pretty cool!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Project 365 Week 42
I forgot to take a picture one day again this week (Wednesday this time), but I have included an extra one from Saturday. We didn't do a whole lot in the middle of the week, but we had fun weekends on either end!
5/30 We went to Mazeppa for Memorial Day to hang out with the Josselyns. We started the day at a ceremony at the cemetery. It was a beautiful program and such a good reminder of why we celebrate the day. Thank you veterans!
5/31 Will swinging at the park. He really loves to swing, and I don't mind pushing him in the swing because, since he can't walk he crawls around and eats wood chips when he is not in the swing! On a side note: this may be my new favorite angle to photograph a child in the swing (I'm crouching down, shooting up), I just love the background of the treetops and blue sky!
6/2 Will after he dismantled the Swiffer- doesn't he look proud of himself?!
6/3 Addy smiling at the dinner table- look at all those dimples!
6/4 Addy dancing around the living room. One of the girls' favorite things to do right now is to turn on music and take turns dancing around- it's pretty cute!
6/4 Ellie playing in the sprinklers at the zoo. Ellie has really become brave when it comes to water. She loves running through the sprinkler and is no longer afraid of getting her face wet!
6/5 Rick and Will in the pool at Rick's parents house. We had such a great time playing in the pool today!
5/30 We went to Mazeppa for Memorial Day to hang out with the Josselyns. We started the day at a ceremony at the cemetery. It was a beautiful program and such a good reminder of why we celebrate the day. Thank you veterans!
5/31 Will swinging at the park. He really loves to swing, and I don't mind pushing him in the swing because, since he can't walk he crawls around and eats wood chips when he is not in the swing! On a side note: this may be my new favorite angle to photograph a child in the swing (I'm crouching down, shooting up), I just love the background of the treetops and blue sky!
6/2 Will after he dismantled the Swiffer- doesn't he look proud of himself?!
6/3 Addy smiling at the dinner table- look at all those dimples!
6/4 Addy dancing around the living room. One of the girls' favorite things to do right now is to turn on music and take turns dancing around- it's pretty cute!
6/4 Ellie playing in the sprinklers at the zoo. Ellie has really become brave when it comes to water. She loves running through the sprinkler and is no longer afraid of getting her face wet!
6/5 Rick and Will in the pool at Rick's parents house. We had such a great time playing in the pool today!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
May Challenge Masters Challenges
I was able to complete a few of the challenges at Challenge Masters for May. I have reached the point where we got our new camera so the number of photos has gone up A LOT. I think I will be doing a lot more double page layouts...
The first challenge was the Day In the Life challenge, which was to scrap outdoor photos. I used these gorgeous shots from our trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum last spring.
The next challenge I did was the Stamping challenge. The challenge was to "pop dot" part of your stamped image. I made this anniversary card for my father- and mother-in-law who celebrated their 35th anniversary this past weekend. I pop dotted the hearts.
Finally, I did the Scrapping the Girls challenge. This month the challenge was to scrap celebration photos. I pulled out these photos of Addy from last Easter.
The first challenge was the Day In the Life challenge, which was to scrap outdoor photos. I used these gorgeous shots from our trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum last spring.
The next challenge I did was the Stamping challenge. The challenge was to "pop dot" part of your stamped image. I made this anniversary card for my father- and mother-in-law who celebrated their 35th anniversary this past weekend. I pop dotted the hearts.
Finally, I did the Scrapping the Girls challenge. This month the challenge was to scrap celebration photos. I pulled out these photos of Addy from last Easter.
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