June Calendar page

Hi all! I have my June calendar page to share! I started with the double page sketch from Stick It Down:

I had lots of photos so I made the large photo spot on the right side into a photo collage. I used my Cricut a lot on this layout- for the large scallop border, the photo mats and the title. I used a Project Life card for my journaling. To label the photos, I used the circles that were cut from my border and then colored the numbers with chalk to match the dots. I used some stickers from the Vicki Boutin Cut and Paste collection- I love the embellishments from this collection!

 

May Calendar Page

Hello! I'm back today with my May calendar page. I started with the double page sketch from Stick It Down:

I loved how much space there was on this sketch for photos! May is such a busy month, so I needed the space! I started by printing my photos and laying them out on the page. I trimmed the patterned paper for each end of the layout. I used strips for my journaling. I had a great time embellishing my layout with die cuts, stickers, and foam stickers from the Cut and Paste collection by Vicki Boutin.

 

Fall Sweet Fall- Lasting Memories Guest Designer

Hello! It is my final week as guest designer for Lasting Memories. This week's challenge is: THIS-use never before used pieces of paper or THAT: use all scraps. 

I ended up using all scraps for my layout (except for the base cardstock). Most of the papers I used are from Creative Memories, which is also where I got the sketch that I based this layout on (see below). I stuck pretty close to the sketch, adjusting it a bit to work with the size and shape of my photos. I cut my title useing the Cricut. To embellish the page, I used some stickers, die cut flowers, and fussy cut leaves.

Here's the sketch I based the layout on:

 

A Week in Illinois- Lasting Memories Guest Designer

Hello! I'm here to share exciting news today! I am guest designing for Lasting Memories for the month of April! This month's challenge theme is "This or That." This week's challenge is THIS: Use a sketch OR THAT: Scraplift one of the Design Team's layouts. I decided to use this sketch from the March PageMaps:

I started with two different colored sheets of cardstock and went to work finding patterned papers that went with my photos. I adjusted the photo spots a bit from the sketch to work with the photos I was working with. I also moved the journaling area because my photo on the bottom right was bigger than the one in the sketch. I used my Cricut to cut the title, large blue train, the tracks and the railroad crossing sign. I also used some stickers, die cuts, and dimensional embellishments from various collections to embellish the page. To bring the dark blue to the right hand page, I used a couple of pieces of blue washi tape in the embellishment clusters.

I hope you play along with this challenge and the rest of the challenges throughout the month!
 

Scrapbooking Retreat- First Communion

Hello! I have another layout to share from my scrapbooking retreat last month. This one had lots of photos, I so had to figure out a design to include them all. I love a grid when I have lots of photo that are the same size and orientation, so that is what I did on the right side of my layout. I clustered the other photos on the left hand page. I brought a block of patterned paper across both pages to tie the pages together. I also punched a cardstock border to run across both pages. The title was cut on the Cricut and adhered with foam tape for a bit of dimension. To embellish the page, I stamped a couple of scrolls, and used stickers, washi tape, and gold paper sequins. 

 

Water Park Layouts

Hello, today I have a couple of water park vacation layouts to share. My first layout was based on this PageMaps sketch:

I found some fun patterned papers and got to work laying them out. I used several Cricut cuts to embellish the page- the word "Splash," the water gun, and the tube and splash. The rest of the embellishments are stickers, puffy stickers, and a chipboard piece.

My second layout started with this sketch from Sketches In Thyme:

I took this single page sketch and stretched it across two pages by keeping the line of banners going. I used my Cricut for this layout as well, for the words "Water Park" and for the giant beach ball. I used a white gel pen and a letter template for "MEA" and hand wrote "at the" to finish off the title. I embellished the page with buttons, a couple of stickers, and some canvas flair.

 

Scrapbooking Retreat- Wedding Layouts

Hello! I went on a scrapbooking retreat last month, but haven't shared many of the layouts because I haven't wanted to spend the time blogging them. I'm currently sick with strep, so sitting with a laptop is more doable and appealing than crafting, so I figured I would work on getting some of these layouts blogged.

Today I'm sharing a couple of layouts I made for my son's book from his aunt and uncle's wedding in 2014. He was one of the ring bearers so it was special for him. First, is a layout about being the ring bearer. I used this skech from PageMaps:

I used papers from Christmas collections since the wedding was two days after Christmas and the colors worked. I cut the title and rings on the right hand page with my Cricut. I used a tag from one of the collections for the journaling. To embellish the page, I used stickers, washi tape, and puffy stickers. I kept this design pretty clean and simple to let the adorable photos shine.

 Next up in the layout of his photo booth photos. I lifted this layout from Paper Issues: 

I made four clusters on my page, three with the photos and one with the title. I again used Christmas collections, this time sticking to mostly black, white and red designs. It was fun to find stickers and bits and pieces to tuck behind the photos. I used my Cricut to cut the title, cutting the camera a couple times and stacking the pieces for dimension. I finished off the page with some red Nuvo drops.

Stick It Down Guest Designer

Hello! I am here today to share that I am the guest designer for Stick It Down this month! I made a project for each of their sketches for the month. 

First up was the card sketch, which I used to make Valentines for two of my sons. I started by stamping the wood background on kraft cardstock. I used a die to cut the brown frame and my Cricut to cut the hearts from various papers. I layered the hearts over the frame and attached them to the card front. For the sentiment, I stamped on a strip of white cardstock and trimmed the end into a banner and tucked it under the hearts. To embellish the card, I used a metallic pink paint pen to drw the hearts on some of the "logs" and made dots with pink Nuvo drops.

Next is the double page layout. I used some really old October Afternoon for this one. This sketch is all about blocks, so it is a great one to use up a collection or use 6x6 papers on. I ussed my Cricut to cut the title and embellishments. For the journaling, I used vellum and hand wrote the captions and recap. I used washi tape across the bottom of my layout and red Nuvo Drops as accents on my embellishments.
 

 Finally, I have the layout using the single page sketch. I started by creating a vertical "block" on the page with ink blending and a mask. I then used patterned paper and stickers from the collection to embellish the page. For the title, I used the combination of a sticker and a Cricut cut. For some added dimension and fun, I sprinkled some enamel dots over the page.

March Calendar Page

Hello! I'm back today with my March calendar layout. I started with the February double page sketch from Stick It Down:

I started with white cardstock. Then I went to work finding patterned paper that I had two sheets of that would go with the photos. I landed on this wood grain paper that had colors that went with the rest of the patterned papers I wanted to use on the layout. I layered everything up on the layout. For my title, I used my Cricut. I inked the edges of the offset to make it stand out a bit more. To embellish the page, I used some white chipboard flowers and a floral sticker that went with the colors of my layout. For the centers of the flowers, I used enamel dots in coordinating colors.

 

February Calendar Page

Hello! I have my February calendar page to share. I started with the January double page sketch from Stick It Down:

I adjusted the photo spots a bit to fit a couple of extra photos onto the layout. Since it is February, I decided to go with a heart theme. I started by cutting a bunch of hearts with my Cricut. I used my sewing machine to stitch a large circle on my left hand page. I then glued the hearts around that circle. I matted my photos with scraps of the cardstock I used to cut the hearts. There are things cut out from several of these mats, I just strategically adhered my photos over the holes- this is a great way to get the most from your paper! I used my Cricut to cut the title from the same papers I used for the hearts. I have a pack of white cardstock borders that I went through and found the flower borders and added those. I used strips for my journaling and embellished my right hand page with leftover hearts.

 

Fabulous

Hello, I have one more layout to share from over Christmas. For this layout, I started with this sketch from Paper Issues:

I decided to turn it into a two page layout by flipping the sketch horizontally to make the second page. I started by using a hexagon mask on my background because I didn't was to cut a ton of hexagons. I did cut the big hexagons and some small hexagons with my Cricut. I layered the small ones over spots in my inking to add some interest. I stitched around the large hexagons for some texture and interest. To embellish the page, I used some die cut butterflies, stickers and fussy cut some speech bubbles from a sheet of patterned paper. At that point, I decided I wanted a few splatters around my page. As I was creating the splatters, I knocked over my bottle of spray ink! That is why there is a large splotch of ink in the center of my layout. After I had calmed down from being frustrated with myself for knocking over the bottle, I consulted my family (including the child whose book this is going in) and we decided that the large splatter looked okay and I didn't need to start over. I added a few more larger splatters to make it look a little more intentional. I will eventually replace the two photos the got ink on them, when I get them reprinted.

 

January Calendar Page

 Happy New Year! I have my January calendar page to share! I started with this sketch from the Creative Memories Crop group on Facebook:

I needed to fit more photos on my page, so I split some of the photo spots and added a photo to the right hand page. I used my Cricut to cut the borders and title. I used printed chipboard, stickers, metal rimmed stickers, and enamel dots to embellish my page. For the journaling, I did a combination of photo captions and a paragraph on the bottom of the page. 

Thanks for stopping by to check out my page. I should have some more posts in the next few days with some cards and scrapbook pages I've done over the last few weeks!

November Calendar Page

Hello, it's been a while! I've been spending my time taking and editing photos for my business. I was able to squeeze in making a calendar page and some cards (which I'll be sharing over the next few days. I started with the October two page sketch from Stick It Down:

I pulled out some coordinating patterned papers with some fall colors. I cut the pieces and found a grey that went with the grey on the floral paper. I stuck pretty close to the sketch for the photos, just doing four instead of 5 in the strip on the right hand page. I cut the title with my Cricut and stamped the journaling lines. I used some spray ink to add splatters to my page, both spritzing and tapping the straw for larger splats. I embellished the page with some fussy cut leaves and stickers. 

Thanks for stopping by to check out my layout!
 

October Calendar Page

Hello! I have some catching up to do again! I'm going to start with my October calendar page today. I used this sketch from Page Maps:

I split all of the vertical photos so that I could fit more on my layout. Otherwise, I stuck pretty close to the sketch. I used a variety of fall papers,  mixing and matching manufacturers and collections. For the large cards across the bottom, i used some cut aparts, stickers and patterned paper. The small banners were fussy cut from a sheet of patterned paper. I cut the title using my Cricut. I embellished the page with stickers, chipboard, and brads.

 

September Calendar Page and a Card

Hello all! I have my September calendar page to share along with a card, both using sketches from Stick It Down:

First up is the double page sketch:

This is a great sketch to use up scraps. I pulled out a 6x6 pad and an 8x8 pad and used my Cricut to cut the hexagons from the scraps. I then adhered them to my cardstock. I then found some coordinating cardstocks and matted my photos with them. I stamped the flowers around the corners of the photos and then adhered my photos. I found the arrow washi tape and used that in my corners. For the journaling, I used cardstock strips to caption the photos and stamped journaling lines and added more info on the bottom. For the title, I used foam letter stamps.

I also used this months' card sketch:

This was a pretty quick card to put together. I started by stamping the star and dot background with Versamark ink and used three colors of embossing powder. Once the was heated and cooled, I added the dog sticker. I used foam adhesive behind the treats to add dimension to my card front. I used my Cricut to cut the sentiment.

 

Creative Memories Sketches- Two Layouts

Hello! I participated in the Creative Memories virtual crop this month on Facebook again. Each month, they post four sketches in the group for everyone to use. You are supposed to use mostly Creative Memories products, but I use what I have. I like that the sketches have lots of photos on them!

First up is this single page sketch:

I adjusted the number and sizes of the photos to work with the photos I had. I used some fun patterned papers. I used my Cricut for the ladybugs and title. I finished off the layout with some puffy heart stickers and a canvas flair button.

 Next, I used this double page sketch:

I didn't have two sheets of patterned paper to use on the background, so I used a mask and ink blended the wonky ovals. I used my Cricut to cut the wave border, the circles, and the title. I embellished the page with some stickers, puffy stickers, and flair buttons. I love the soft colors of this one!

June, July, and August Calendar Pages

Aw man, it's been a minute- or two months! I have done some creating between driving kids to activities and doing photo sessions. Today I'm going to start with my calendar pages for the past three months.

First up is June. I used this sketch from PageMaps:

I love how many photos fit on this layout and I was able to divide up the photo spots on the right hand page to get a couple more onto the layout. I followed the sketch pretty closely. For the green scalloped blocks, I dusted of the decorative scissors and cut the edges. I sued my Cricut for the title, cutting the word "June" three times for dimension. The embellishments are a combination of stickers, die cuts, puffy stickers and gems from the collection I used on the layout as well as a couple of other companies.

Next up is my July page, which I used this PageMaps sketch on:

I copied this sketch almost exactly. It was fun working with the patriotic papers on this one. I used my Cricut once again for the title. I added a piece of red glitter tape to the right hand page to bring the glitter over there as well. A few stickers from the collection finished things off.

Finally, I have my August page.  I used the July double page sketch from Stick It Down:

I started by using a mask and inking the area behind where I was going to put my title. I cut the title using my Cricut from white cardstock. I then went to work laying out my photos. I used the photos on the sketch as inspiration, but I added more photos, so my photo layout looks different. I added a few scraps of patterned paper behind the photos. Once I had that all adhered down, I found inks that matched the striped paper (peeking out from under a journaling strip on the left hand page) and used those inks to ink blend the title. I had a package with those two large popsicles still in it, so I decided to use those on either end of my popsicle "banner." I cut the rest from a sheet of patterned paper and stuck them down. I finished off the page with a couple of ice cream cone stickers.

 

Lasting Memories Guest Designer- Week 4

My last layout went up on Sunday at Lasting Memories. Here is the tic-tac-toe board for week 4:

I was also inspired by this sketch from Sketches In Thyme:

I broke the photo spots into multiple spots so I could get more photos on my layout. I then went to work with some fun papers. I used my Cricut to cut the title and the circles. I scattered the circles around the page like the hexes on the sketch. I added some pieces of washi tape around the page as well. I finished off the page with some enamel dots. I used the top left to bottom right diagonal on the tic-tac- toe board: 2+ papers, circles, and blue.

 Thanks for stopping by and following along this month!

May Calendar Page

Hello all! I have my May calendar page today. I used this sketch from Lasting Memories because I worked best with the photos I had:

I divided some of the photo spots into smaller spots so I could get more photos on my page. I used a new collection of paper I found at my local scrapbook store from a company called Paper Rose out of Australia. The colors and designs are so beautiful, I look forward to using this one more! I used strips of cardstock for my journaling. For the title, I used my Cricut. I had a scrap of paper that I had done the smooshing technique on with colors that worked with the colors of the papers on my layout, so I cut "May" from that and found coordinating cardstock for the flowers. This collection has a die cut butterfly pack, so I used some of those to scatter around my page. I decided a couple of the clusters needed a little more, so I splattered some yellow and orange ink on the background. I finished things off with some washi tape and enamel dots.