Scavenger Hunt Sunday 3-29-15

Hello!  Well, I didn't get the scavenger hunt done last week, but I am back again this week with photos... maybe I'll shoot for every other week.  A couple of these are a bit of a stretch (okay, one is a major stretch), but I took lots of photos this week, so I just made them work.

Addiction

There are two addictions shown here: the pacifier and sleeping in the chair rather than his bed.  He has napped in the recliner in his room from time to time, but a couple of weeks ago he had an ear infection and I think he was more comfortable sitting up, so the chair has become his "bed" of choice. He has also been fighting naps. As you can see, this day he wore himself out to the point he didn't have enough energy to even get into the chair...

Me
Or, "Me!" This little boy is 2, and he likes to do things by himself.  He lets us know by saying (or screaming) "Me!" until we let him do whatever it is he wants.  He also gets this stern look on his face when he says it.  I didn't catch the expression fully here (there is usually more brow furrowing), but you get the idea.

On the Floor
These two were playing restaurant with the puff balls on the floor one day this week.  These two have a bit of a volatile relationship.  They can get along great (as shown here) or they can fight. I enjoyed them playing together happily this day.

Pride
Here is Minnesota we tend to pride ourselves on our ability to handle whatever winter throws our way.  We had it pretty easy this winter, but last weekend we had a snowstorm roll throw that dumped close to a foot of snow on us.  Here you can see the volume of it on our deck and the kid's picnic table.

Salty
All right, here's where it gets stretchy.  I really had nothing that fit the "salty" category, so I went with this photo.  Because... the snow looks like salt? I don't know... I got to leave the girls' school a little early after volunteering this week and so I decided to go to a local park to take some pictures of the freshly fallen snow. This is one of the resulting shots

Play to Learn

Hello!  I have another layout to share! I don't know what to say, I've been inspired lately! I started today's layout with this sketch #102 (by Ashley Horton) from My Scraps and More.

My interpretation is a little looser that I usually go with a sketch, but I think you can still see the sketch in my layout (even if my 6-year-old doesn't). ;)  I was also inspired by the 3/20 Friday Free for All Challenge at My Scraps and More. The challenge was to use new and old stash, wood veneer, and stickers. I used some Echo Park "Little Boy" (old!) and Bella Blvd "Tiny Tots" (new) for my papers. I started with a pieced of patterned paper for my background.  I took a circle mask and a blue Gelato to make some circles.  I then added some white and green ink splatters.

I used a sticker from one of the visits as an accent on my page. Since we were going with circles here, it worked perfectly! 

I colored some of my wood veneer pieces with the same blue Gelato I used on my background.  I colored the pieces and then blended the color with my finger.  I used a combination of letter stickers and die cut letters for my title.  I finished off my page with some orange buttons.

Materials:
Patterned Paper- Bella Blvd., Echo Park
Ink- Imaginisce, Studio Calico
Gelato- Faber Castell
Mask and Wood Veneer- Studio Calico
Stickers- Bella Blvd., Fancy Pants, Simple Stories
Font- Mail Ray Stuff
Software- Adobe, Crafters Edge
Die Cutter- Provo Craft
Tape- My Mind's Eye
Buttons- Jesse James Co., Oriental Trading Company
Pen- Zig

Happy Birthday Dad!

Hello!  Today is my dad's birthday and I have the card I made for him to share today.

I pulled out a 6x6 paper pad that I have and started looking at the pieces of paper, most of which have been used, so I have quite a few smaller scraps.  I decided to make a background with some of those scraps for this card.  I cut a piece of smooth white cardstock slightly smaller than my card. I attached each piece of patterned paper with a generous amount of adhesive.  Once all of the pieces were attached, I ran the entire piece through an embossing folder.  To bring some cohesion to the different patterns, I took my Iced Coffee Gelato over the embossing. I rubbed the color around with my finger to make it a little more uniform. I stamped the sentiment in dark brown and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. I then inked the edges of my banners with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I finished the card off with a couple of lengths of ribbon on the horizontal seams.

April Calendar Layout

Hello,  I'm here to share my April calendar layout, a week and a half early!  I was inspired by this sketch at Stick it Down:

I was also inspired by the 3/12 Throwback Thursday challenge at My Scraps and More.  The challenge wad to use a colored cardstock background and buttons on your layout.  I like to use colored cardstock for my backgrounds,  do this challenge was pretty easy.  

I used the DIY Boutique line from Simple Stories. I picked this up a little over a week ago at our local scrapbook store.  I just loved the bright colors.  This collection was a lot of fun to use,  the colors make me so happy!

I scribbled with a yellow Gelato where I planned to place my title.  I then sprayed it with a little water and smudged it around.  I added some spray ink splatters for a little more interest.  As you may be able to tell from this photo,  I didn't have a couple of the letters I needed,  so i made the "r" and "i" from other letters.  I finished off the area with buttons,  stickers, tape and more chipboard.

You can see in this photo that I used a bit of white paint on my banners and labels to cover the pattern and make my journaling readable.  I did a little more with the yellow gelato in this corner as well.

Materials
Cardstock: Die Cuts With a View, Michael's, Bazzill
Patterned Paper,  Stickers, Die Cut, Enamel Dot: Simple Stories
Paint: Liquitex
Gelatos: Faber-Castell
Tape: Pink Fresh Studio
Pen: Zig
Chipboard: Simple Stories,  American Crafts
Buttons: Oriental Trading Company,  Jesse James Co.
Die Cutter: Provo Craft
Cartridge: Edge to Edge
Font: Nickelodeon
Ink: Tattered Angels,  Imaginisce

ABC and 123

 Hello!  I hope you have had a good start to your week!  I have a layout to share tonight!

I was inspired by the 3/10 Word Up Wednesday challenge at My Scraps and More.  The challenge was to use the alphabet or part of the alphabet on a layout.  I started with the alphabet strip on the right side of my paper and the idea for my title.  I was also inspired to use the new Gelatos that I bought, so I made a rainbow with them down the left side of my background paper. I started by spraying my paper with water.  Then I scribbled the colors onto the wet paper. As soon as the color mixed with the water it started to blend and spread.  I helped it along further by smudging it with my finger.  I really like how it turned out and I am excited to play some more with these in the future!

For my title, I used a couple of kinds of Thickers.  The letters for "abc" were white, but I colored them with my blue gelato so they would match my page.  I also outlined my title in black pen to make it stand out.

A sprinkle of sequins and a few rub ons and my page was done! While I have loved being on design teams the last few years, it is very freeing to just play and get pages done! I am having so much fun!

I am also linking up with the Paper Issues blog for their current challenge: Painting by the Numbers. I used both numbers and gelatos on my project!

Materials:
Cardstock- American Crafts
Patterned Paper- Bella Blvd.
Stickers- Bella Blvd., American Crafts, Simple Stories
Rub ons- Crate Paper
Pen- Zig
Journal Spot- Echo Park
Gelatos- Faber Castell
Tape- My Mind's Eye

Baby- CAS(E) this Sketch #114

Hello! I have a baby card to share today. This time it was for a baby shower. I was inspired by this sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch:

I rotated the sketch. I cut two pieces of the star paper and tried to line them up, but they didn't line up quite right, oh well.  I put a layer of vellum between the layers to create the border. I cut the letter blocks with my Cricut and the "New Arrival" cartridge. I finished off the card with some pink Stickles.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday 3-15-15

Well, I didn't get photos together for last week's scavenger hunt, but I got some this week! The warmer weather has definitely helped!

Time

...for homework. On Tuesday of this past week, it got up over 65 degrees. It was so nice out, the girls decided to work on their homework outside and enjoy the weather.

On My Plate

Yesterday (3-14-15) was Pi Day and we celebrated by having Strawberry Rhubarb pie. 

Animal

We enjoyed the weather on Friday by going to the zoo with our MOPS group. While we were there, I caught this shot of one of the leopards snoozing in the sun.

Negative Space
This is another shot from the zoo.  My youngest took his sweet time making his way through the zoo. Here he had stopped to look for the otters.

Photographer's Choice
My final shot is also from the zoo. Usually when we go by the beaver exhibit, the beavers are hiding in their dam.  This day, two of them were out, along with a mallard duck!

When You Wish Upon a Star

Hello! I have a layout to share today.  I was inspired to use my Gelatos and modeling paste on this layout after watching this video by Missy Whidden. I didn't use they products in the way she used them, but the video inspired me to pull them out and use them.  I mixed some purple metallic gelato with modeling paste and then used a mask for the circle design.  

The orange swirl transparency is an old one by Hambly that I have had sitting in my scraps forever.  It matched the orange in the girls' costumes, so I had to use it! I fussy cut that to get rid of the excess around the design

I had some fun with the title of the page (also the title of one of their dances).  I cut the star from some of the excess transparency and then colored it with some purple alcohol ink and pearl mixative.  

To try to make it stand out more, I put a layer of glue on the back and some white tinsel glitter.  It still blended in too much with the purple on the background so I outlined it with white Liquid Pearls.

Materials:
Cardstock- Americna Crafts, Michaels
Transparency- Hambly
Modeling Paste- Golden
Gelato- Faber Castell
Ink and Liquid Pearls- Ranger
Glitter- American Crafts
Masks- Studio Calico, The Crafters Workshop
Stickers- Heidi Grace, Mark Richards
Pen- Zig
Gems- Basic Grey, Michaels, Jolees
Die Cutter- Provo Crafts
Cartridge- Jasmine

Stick It Down- Birthday Card

Hi all! I have a card I made earlier this week to share today.  I was inspired by this month's card sketch at Stick it Down:

I started with the light green cardstock background and dry embossed it. Then I inked up the edges with Walnut Ink, Forest Moss, and Wild Honey Distress Inks. I cut the tree using the "New Testament" Cricut cartridge, I thought this tree was so beautiful! I cut the olive colored piece to look like a hill for the tree to stand on and inked the edges of that piece as well.  I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment .

Dance Your Dream

 Hello!  I have another layout to share today!  This one uses my younger daughter's dance photos from a couple of years ago.  These photos started out on one big sheet that measured 10"x13".  I decided to cut the two shots out and use them on my layout.  I was inspired by another of the Cabin Fever Challenges going on now at My Scraps and More.  This challenge was called "Soup's On" and it is a recipe challenge based off of the recipe for potato soup. Here's the recipe:

Bacon- use the color pink.
Potatoes- use squares or rectangles to mimic diced potatoes.
Cheese- use the color yellow.
Green Onions- use a sprinkle of something on your page. 
Cream- use paints, mists or anything wet for your base. 

I started with a piece of cream cardstock and a mask.  I wanted silver mist to match to sequins on the girls' costumes, but my silver is gone.  I decided to use a gray mist and then go over it with a pearl mist for some shimmer.  I used the stencil to trace and cut out the hearts from patterned paper.  I popped them up with some foam adhesive.  For the yellow, I pulled out some OLD felt pieces and added those to my page.  I added a border of vellum squares and rectangles under the group photo. I "sprinkled" the felt buttons across my page to finish it off.

In this shot, you can see the shimmer from the spray mists and you can get a closer look at my vellum border.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my layout today!

Materials:
Cardstock- Bazzill
Patterned Paper- October Afternoon
Felt- Fancy Pants
Stickers- Basic Grey, Fancy Pants, October Afternoon
Mask- Heidi Swapp
Ink- October Afternoon, Tattered Angels
Pen- Zig
Vellum- Fiskars, Creative Memories

Mojo Monday- Baby Love

Hi everyone! I am back with another baby card! I have plenty of friends having babies in the coming months, so this will not be the last! I was inspired by this week's sketch at Mojo Monday:

I had the scraps from my March calendar page sitting on my desk, so I started from those. For the background, I dry embossed a piece of light blue cardstock and then inked it with some Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink. I also edged the patterned paper pieces with the same ink.  I stamped the feet and the sentiment with VersaMark and heat embossed it with navy embossing powder.  I ran a thin line of Midnight Blue Stickles between my patterned paper pieces to finish it off.

My Scraps and More Cabin Fever Crop- Teaching Memories

Hi all!  There is a crop going on over at My Scraps and More and I was able to complete one of the challenges so far!  I was inspired by Audrey's "Stuck Inside" challenge.  The challenge was to use something "stuck inside" your page.  A couple of weekends ago, I was doing some organizing in our office/ my scrap room closet with my professional organizing friend. I came across these photos and a couple of cards from when I was a teacher 9 years ago.  I found I had space in the album for that year, so I decided to put together a page. 

For the "stuck inside" part of the challenge, I made a pocket with some vellum and patterned paper. I used a strip of washi tape to hold those two pieces together.  I stitched around the page to create the pocket. I tucked both of the cards in the pocket.  You can see the words from one of the cards peeking through the vellum here.

I ended up going pretty basic on this page, and, as a result, it came together super fast and I am so happy to have these photos scrapped!  For the title area, I punched some scalloped circles and squares from the vellum and overlapped them.  I used some sticker letters for the title. I finished off this area and the rest of the page with some enamel dots.

Materials:
Patterned Paper- Die Cuts with a View, Simple Stories
Vellum- Crate Paper
Enamel Dots and Tape- My Mind's Eye
Stickers- Bo Bunny, Simple Stores
Punches and Pen- Marvy
Chipboard- Heidi Swapp
Thread- Coats and Clard
Stamp- Stampin Up
Ink- Ranger

Fusion Card Challenge- Welcome Baby

Hi ! I am back with a baby card I made for a friend who just had a baby. I was inspired by this week's Fusion Card Challenge. The challenge is to use the inspiration photo and/or the sketch.

I was inspired by by both.  I used the bow tie concept from the photo and the sketch for the overall design.  I made my own bow tie with some ribbon that I wanted to use.  I cut the circles with my Cricut. I used some clear iridescent embossing powder to add some sparkle. I then backed each of the circles with some scalloped circles punched from vellum. I stamped the background with some grey ink.  

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my card!

I Heart Faces February Photo Challenge: Days 22-28

Well, I made it to the end of the month! Very few (if any) of these photos were actually taken on the day of the prompt, but that is okay.  We didn't have much for big events or milestones this month, so this challenge made sure I took some photos this month, and I am grateful for that. I am going to try to continue by picking back up on the weekly scavenger hunt here.

2/22 Curled

... or not. They celebrated "I Love to Read" month at my daughters' school by having dress up days this past week.  On Tuesday, they were to dress up as a favorite character from a book.  Addy chose Fancy Nancy.  She wanted to have her hair curled with hot rollers, but decided they were too hot after I had two in... So no curls it was!

2/23 Window
Two of the older kids were playing outside and this guy was watching them out the window and "painting" the window with a dry paintbrush.

2/24 Strength
It took some hand strength to push the play dough through this toy.

2/25 Radiant
This girl got to go to a princess birthday party this week, complete with a real, live Rapunzel. While she was there she got her face painted with this crown. She came home feeling like a "radiant" princess (a stretch, I know).

2/26 Cozy
These two decided to create a nest in the living room with the pillows, blankets and animals from their beds.  It looked pretty cozy to me.

2/27 Get Low
Our youngest started speech a couple of weeks ago and the teacher has brought things for him to play with each week. This week, she brought a bin of beans with some other toys that bring with "b" mixed in. It is a small bucket so we have to "get low" to play with it (and to pick up the beans when Nick spreads them all over the floor).

2/28 Darling
I made smoothies for snack yesterday and the boys ended up with "darling" mustaches from eating them.