Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry and blessed Christmas day spent with family and friends, and just maybe a bit of scrappin'!  I may stay up late tonight and do a bit myself.  I just wanted to pop in and wish my followers a blessed and joyous Christmas day and to share a bit of craftiness.  I made these fun folders for our goody bags to hold our traditional lottery tickets that we pass out at our Christmas Eve chilli supper we host every year for our family at our home.  I think they turned out pretty cute!

Supplies Used:  Cardstock: Stampin Up Real Red , Old Olive, Basic Black; Patterned Paper: Making Memories; Punches: Stampin Up;

Stamps: Stampin Up Deer Friends; Ink: Stampin Up Real Red, Basic Black and Old Olive; Letter Stickers: Making Memories

Here is a close up (sorry for the poor light, it is raining and storming here and very dreary!)

I used a folder from my scrappy stash that I have had for years, but it is orange and brown, so didn't really work for this project, so I just traced around it on the red cardstock and cut it out.  I actually decided this was a "must have" template and then traced a master copy onto a piece of cardboard to always have, since I may use the brown and orange ones at some point and time in the future.  This is a good tip for those things you know you will use over and over again! Enjoy your day my friends!

Holiday Bonus Sketch!

We at Sketch N Scrap wanted to offer a readers a little extra holiday cheer this year, we are offering TWO prizes instead of one this month and even that wasn't enough, so we decided to offer THREE sketches instead of just our normal two!!!  This bonus sketch is by our new sketch artist Brenshevia and it is just lovely!  Won't you treat yourself to a little holiday break and make yourself some time to play along and get your scrap on with us?  I hope so, you deserve it!

The sketch:

My interpretation:

Supplies Used:  Patterned papers: We R Memory Keepers Hall Pass; cardstock: We R Memory Keepers; Alphas: Scenic Route (red) and

American Crafts (black) Paper Trunk (black nmbers); die cut (small): Making Memories; felt embellishments: Pebbles;

punches: Stampin Up notebook, tag corner and star punches.

I am slowly working on my son's school pics, as you can see I am a few years behind!  Most of these items were in my September Personalscrapper kit.  If you are looking for a great kit club this one will surely fit the bill, great product and wonderful inspiration, you can't go wrong with a Personalscrapper kit!  I also created this layout for the 52 week challenge at Personalscrapper for week 35 which was punches.  I used 3 punches on this layout.  I'm almost ready for Christmas, still some gift wrapping to do but then I'm done and hoping to find some scrappy time in between cooking, cleaning and wrapping!  Plus my baby is turning 15 on Christmas Eve, so I have to get ready for his party as well!  Enjoy your week and remember the reason for the season!

Sketch N Scrap 23

Howdy friends! Can you believe I am back to post the SECOND sketch for December already?  Seems like it was just yesterday I posted our December 1st sketch! Time really does fly when you are having fun huh?  We have had awesome weather here this past week and have been able to really enjoy some fun outdoor activities!  I hope your December is going as well too.  Here is the December 15th sketch for Sketch N Scrap:

And here is my take on it:

Supplies Used: Patterned Papers: Bo Bunny; circles: Jillibean Soup Grandma's Lima Bean Soup punch outs;  wood accents (people):

Studio Calico;  Letter Stickers: American Crafts Remarks (ivory), Basic Grey (brown little letters) and October Afternoon (brown)

I was able to use up some older stash (Bo Bunny papers & alphas) while using some of my newer embellies that I was dying to play with (wood people and Jillibean Soup punch outs).  Don't you love to mix new and old supplies?  It used to be so hard for me to mix manufacturers but I feel more at ease with it as of late, which is good...stressing over your pages is never fun!   I also entered this layout into the Personalscrapper week 20 challenge which was a challenge to document why you scrapbook.  I journaled about why I scrapbook on this page and hid some of it under my picture.  In light of the recent tragedy in CT it seems even more important then ever to me to document all my memories, whether just mundane everyday moments we sometimes take for granted or the more "exciting celebrations".  I know many of you are with me on leaving a legacy for our loved ones showing how much we loved each other, sharing traditions and how they got started as well as documenting the "boring" everyday moments that really in the long run we hold so dear when we lose a loved one.  My heart goes out to those who lost a loved one in this tragedy, how horrible and I just can't imagine, but it does put things into perspective for us for sure.  Have a blessed week and hug those you love extra tight today!

Sketch N Scrap 22

Happy December everyone!  I've been a little missing in action the past few weeks, the holiday season is upon me and I guess I've been caught up in all the hustle and bustle of the season! I am so excited to share my reveal for Sketch 22 at Sketch N Scrap with you today.  This is our new design team's first reveal and I can only say that they rocked this sketch!  Please hop on over to Sketch N Scrap to see all their lovely work!  Now on to this month's first sketch:



I wanted to do a sketch with a big circle in it to use up some of my stash of diecut circles, but you could of course make your circle any number of ways, to see some other variations check out the DT reveal at Sketch N Scrap!   Now here is my take on the sketch:

Supplies used:  Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye, Jillibean Soup and Crate Paper;

  chipboard flower: Little Yellow Bicycle; sticker embellishment: My Mind's Eye; Letter stickers: American Crafts Thickers.

These pics are of my friend's little girl during her Teddy Bear parade in kindergarten last year.  Don't you just love the corvette her Dad helped her make?  Too cute!  I remember when my son did his parade, seems like a loooonnnng time ago now! lol!  I will say his car wasn't that fancy!  I hope you will play along with the sketch this month, you have until December 31st at midnight PST to upload your layout for a chance to win NOT ONE but TWO prizes from our awesome sponsors!  Good luck!

DT call at Sketch N Scrap!

Just popping in to remind everyone if you are wanting to try out for the Sketch N Scrap Design Team you still have 3 days to do so!  You can view all the details HERE.  I hope you will consider joining our fun little group.  Design team members' term will run December 1st until June 30th with  members required to complete 2 layouts per month.  Only other real requirements are to support one another, comment on participants blogs, encourage participation and have fun! Can't get much better then that!  I hope you will consider trying out!  Feel free to email any questions to me!  Happy Scrappin'!

I want Candy!

I didn't get to spend Halloween with my youngest nephew this year, so I was on pins and needles waiting to see him in his costume.  So when my SIL sent me these adorable pics I had to scrap them right away!  Only problem....I had no Halloween themed product (or so I thought), then digging through my stash I uncovered this oldie but goodie line from Scenic Route called Salem.  I was so excited that the colors worked perfectly with my pictures!  I sure miss Scenic Route and I forgot how easy it is to use!  Anyone still have some in their stash?  If you do I hope I've inspired you to dig it out and use it!

Supplies used:  Patterned Paper:  Scenic Route Salem line; Chipboard: Scenic Route Salem line; letter stickers:

American Crafts Thickers; sticker: Scenic Route Salem line.

I created this layout for the Personalscrapper 52 week challenge, week 42 which was Banners.  I think I am actually going to complete all 52 challenges this year!  Of course we have a like 7 more weeks left and I am down by 6 challenges, but I think I can complete 13 more layouts by the end of the year!  I hope to find some scrappy time this weekend, and we are celebrating my niece's birthday this weekend so I will have more great pics to scrap then too!   Have a great rest of the week friends and get scrappy!

Sketch N Scrap 20

Can you believe it is only 3 weeks until Thanksgiving?  I can't!  I have TONS to do to get ready for the holidays and can't believe they are almost here!  It's a new month and that means a new sketch at Sketch N Scrap!  Here is my layout using this fun sketch featuring a single 5x7 photo:

Supplies Used:  Patterned Papers: Scenic Route; quote block: Teresa Collins; Letters: American Craft Thickers Sunrise;

metal: Making Memories; felt border: Queen & Company; Flari button: American Crafts Junior line.

This is my friend's son after playing catcher at his baseball game.  Love this pic don't you? I was so happy she let me scrap it for her!  Hop on over to Sketch N Scrap to see the DT's reveal, love the variety of layouts created using the same sketch! Fun stuff!  Hope you will find time to play with the sketch this month.  You have until November 30th to link up your take on the sketch HERE for a chance to win an awesome pack of flair chevron buttons from A Flair for Buttons!  They will look great on all your layouts! Have a scrappy happy week!

Paper Secrets challenge

Have you seen the Paper Secrets DT reveal using my sketch yet?  If not hop on over, they are fabulous! Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it:

Supplies Used:  Patterned Papers:  Jillibean Soup Watermelon Gazapacho line;  Stickers: Jillibean Soup

Watermelon Gazapacho line; Punch outs: Jillibean Soup Watermelon Gazapacho line; Cardstock: Stampin Up

These are pictures from this July 4th of my niece enjoying her new backyard pool.  She loves the water! There is still time to play along with my friends over at Paper Secrets, you have until October 31st to link up your layout based on the sketch for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the Paper Secrets store! Plus if you use Jillibean Soup products as I did you get an extra entry into the drawing! Sweet!  I'm going to be busy scrapping this weekend, hoping to play along some more with the Croptoberfest challenges over at Personalscrapper.  Hope you will join us there but if not have a scrappy week folks!

More fun sketches!

Hope everyone has been enjoying Fall.  Have you made a trek to a pumpkin patch yet?  We haven't hoping, to squeeze that in before Halloween!  The second sketch of the month is up at Sketch N Scrap!  So excited to see the different takes by the DT on this one.  Hop on over and see what they have come up with.  Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it:  Pictures from our visit to the Hard Rock cafe last June while in Philly!

Supplies Used:  Patterned Papers: We R Memory Keepers Hall Pass line; Felt Star- Pebbles, Inc; Letter stickers:

American Craft Thickers and Tiny Type by Cosmo Cricket; calendar- Jenni Bowlin; chipboard star KI

Memories; chipboard circle- Jenni Bowlin; brad- American Crafts Chaps line; and clock chipboard Jenni Bowlin;

Punch- Stampin Up.

All these things but the chipboard pieces, felt star and tiny type alphas are from the September Personalscrapper kit!  This is an awesome kit and I think there may still be some left.  Check out Personalscrapper's kits HERE.  They are having a daily challenge each day in October for their Croptoberfest, its a fun and inspiring way to get a lot done this month, feel free to join in, you don't have to be a kit club subscriber to join in on the fun!

Now on to another fun sketch!  I have a sketch up at Paper Secrets again today!  I hope you find it inspiring!

Tune in later in the week for my take on it.  Paper Secrets is offering a $10 gift certificate to one lucky winner!  Just complete a layout based on my sketch and link up HERE for a chance to win! Can't wait to see what you create!  Hope everyone gets a little scrappy time this week, enjoy your week friends!

Paper Secrets Sketch fun!

Does it feel like Fall where you are at yet?  It really didn't here until last night when a cold front rolled through, and now it is sure feeling like Fall.  This weather is perfect for scrapping and I was able to get a lot of it done today as it was a bit too cold to do much outside (or at least that was my excuse to scrap!).  Here is my layout I did with the sketch I made for Paper Secrets October 1st challenge.  I love these photos of my nephew my Dad took at my cousin's wedding this past August.  Isn't he adorable? 

Supplies Used:  Patterned Papers:  American Crafts Nightfall;  Cardstock:  Stampin Up Vanilla & Basic Black; 
 Chipboard: TLC  Alphabets: American Crafts Vinyl & Foam Thickers & Paper Trunk Benny alphas;
Sticker: Jenni Bowlin (circle); Rosette Flowers: American Crafts Nightfall collection;  Rub on: Stampin Up;
 Buttons: Bazzill Basics; Border Punch: Fiskars Upper Crest

Here is the sketch:

There is still time to play along with the Paper Secrets challenge.  Go ahead and give it a whirl, they are giving away a $10 gift certificate to one lucky random winner!  You can find out more HERE.

Also, don't forget to check out how the DT interpreted the sketch HERE, some awesome layouts!

Hope your weekend if filled with scrappiness and sunshine!

Guest Designer

I am so excited to share my big news with you!  I was honored to be Guest Designer for Personalscrapper for the month of October!  This months' kit rocks!  I was so excited when I found out that the kit would be full of one of my favorite manufaturers, Jillibean Soup!  This new line Country Pumpkin Chowder is just awesome in person!  Don't wait, hop right on over to Personalscrapper to sign up for your kit today, Erica has great kits, offers the latest in products, and shipping is FREE on all her kits!  Plus the message board is the BEST I have been part of!  You have got to come visit with us there, they are having a month long Croptoberfest in October with lots of prizes as well as challenges!  You don't have to be a kit club member to join in, so head on over and make sure and tell Erica Lisa ( aka jakobsmommy) sent you!  Here are a few of my layouts created with this month's Personalscrapper kit:

Supplies used:  Patterned Papers: Jillibean Soup Country Pumpkin Chowder; Cardstock:  Bazzill; Stickers: Jillibean Soup;

Letter stickers:  Jillibean Soup;  flowers: Jillibean Soup; ribbon/fibers:  Jillibean Soup

I still have more left to use in my kit and am hoping to finish it up with a few more layouts this week.  Enjoy your scrappy time this week, and make sure and come play with us at Personalscrapper this month!

October Scrappiness!

Happy Fall everyone!  I can't believe that October is already here!  I have a BUSY month ahead, not only lots of fun family activities but also a lot of scrappiness in my life this month! I have a lot on the burner this month on the scrappy front, I will be on the old blogo updating as it comes and can't wait to share it all with you!  First up, the new sketch is up at Sketch N Scrap!  This is one of my favorite sketches so far!  I love multi photo one page layouts!  This sketch is definitely one you can use over and over again! 

And here is my interpretation!  I love the ability to use a long title on this one, perfect for using multiple fonts!

Supplies Used:  Patterned papers- Simple Stories Summer Fresh; Cardstock- Bazzill; Washi Tape- Bella Blvd;

Letters- Paper Loft & Cosmo Cricket; stickers- Simple Stories; Flowers- unknown source; Bling-Kaisercrafts

These pictures were taken on the Fourth of July.  My son was pushing my niece on her swingset.  She was having a great time and I was able to capture these photos and then edit them using the Picasa's new Vignette feature which I just love!  I have to make myself not use it on every picture now!

Now on to even more fun scrappiness!  I was asked to contribute sketches for Paper Secrets monthly challenges for the month of October!  I was so excited when Kristi asked me that of course I jumped at the chance! Plus this month they are featuring Jillibean Soup papers which means that ALL their Jillibean Soup papers are on sale!  Wow!  I LOVE Jillibean Soup!  What a wonderful scrappy deal!  Here is my sketch for their October 1st challenge:

 I hope you will play along over at Paper Secrets!  They have a wonderful prize up for grabs as well as the awesome sale on their Jillibean Soup papers!  Check out their blog tomorrow to see the DT reveal using this sketch, I know I am on pins and needles to see what their talented DT has done with the sketch!  I'll be back later in the week to show you my example as well!  Plus, check back tomorrow for more exciting scrappy news!  I told you October is going to be full of scrappiness!  Have a wonderful week everyone!

Love Park

The second sketch for September is up at Sketch N Scrap!  I was so floored by all the lovely work using this sketch!  You have got to go check out what the DT did with this sketch!  Lots of eye candy!

I was so excited to finally get to play with my July Personalscrapper kit featuring Simple Stories' Summer Fresh line!  This has got to be one of my all time favorite lines!  It is so versatile! This picture is of me and my son at Love Park in Philadelphia this last June.  I was so grateful someone offered to take a picture of the two of us, we just don't get that many of us together anymore!

Supplies Used:  Patterned Paper: Simple Stories Summer Fresh line; punch: heart by McGill; Letter stickers:
 American Crafts Thickers; Cardstock:  Stampin Up; Bling:  kaisercrafts;  Buttons: unknown source

I hope you will hop on over to the Sketch N Scrap blog and check out all the wonderful work done by the Sketch N Scrap Design Team as well as the Paper Secrets Design Team and our Guest Designer Martine!  There is still plenty of time to play along for a chance to win a prize pack from Paper Secrets!  You have until September 30th at midnight PST to upload your layout!  Good luck and hope you will play along!

Wanna be a Guest Designer?

Can you believe it is time to pick our Guest Designer for October already over at Sketch N Scrap?  I know I have SOOOO many talented followers and bloggy friends, so I wanted to share this contest with you!  If you are interested in working with our two October sketches and sharing your talent with the blogosphere, then please hop on over to Sketch N Scrap and complete a layout based on this sketch:

Make sure and link up in the post there by September 20th for a chance at a Guest Designer spot for October!  Winner will be announced on September 21st!  Good luck! Can't wait to see your layouts!

Fall is Near!

Can you believe it is already September?  Here the kids have been back at school now for a week, it is still very hot here, so it really doesn't feel like fall is near, but we did go to our first high school football game of the year and have been watching NFL pre-season games, which are all indicators that Fall is fast approaching.  We have a lot of fun things planned for this Fall at Sketch N Scrap and I was delighted to release another sketch today over at Sketch N Scrap and hope that with the kids back in school you might have time to join in the fun and play along with us this month!  Here is September's first sketch:

And here is my take on the sketch:

Supplies Used:  Cardstock: Basic Grey & Black by Stampin Up; Patterned Paper- My Mind's Eye; Embellishments-  journaling box, stickers,

 buttons & candy dots My Mind's Eye;  Letter Stickers: Doodlebug (small black) & American Crafts Thickers.

I took the first picture while stopped at a red light on our way home from the mall and the second one after getting home.  My niece took here My Little Ponies to the Mall in her Easter basket and then talked to them the whole way home!  She was singing and talking to them about everything under the sun and also telling them about her new "princess crown" I bought her at Claires!  It was so cute.  So I just had to snap a few pics to remember this night!  So glad it was a long enough stop light and I had my camera handy!   I hope you will visit the Sketch N Scrap blog and see all the GREAT inspiration we have there this month, our sponsor this month is Paper Secrets and they have donated some awesome My Mind's Eyes goodies for our prize this month and their DT was kind enough to inspire us with their creativity based on this sketch, you won't want to miss it!  Not to mention the Sketch N Scrap team and our FIRST EVER Guest Designer Martine!  You will be so inspired you might just create more then one layout with the sketch!  Can't wait to see your creations, so please share by linking them up in the sidebar HERE!

Red, White and Blue!

It's time for our second sketch of the month at Sketch N Scrap!  That means the month is half over and its time to get your scrap on so you can get entered to win a $25 gift certificate from Your Scrapbook Stash!  Right now they have an awesome sale going on, some new products I know you are dying to get your hands on are up to 50% off!  So hop on over before the sale ends or the good stuff is gone! Enough enabling, how about some sketch inspiration?  Here is the sketch:

And here is my layout, using pictures from our Summer trip to Philly.  My son at the Liberty Bell!

Supplies Used:  Patterned Paper- Authentique Glory & Pink Paislee Declaration; Cardstock: Stampin Up; stickers-

Authentique Glory; Letter stickers: October Afternoon & Heidi Swapp Chipboard; Bling- Bo Bunny; Punches- Stampin Up

I just love the Authentique Glory collection, I bought it even before I went on vacation knowing that it would be perfect for my trip pics!  I love the Liberty Bell stamp sticker!  Hop on over to the Sketch N Scrap blog and check out the other DT member's layouts, they are fab as usual!  I hope you will find time to play along, remember you have until August 31st to upload your layouts!

Guest Desginer contest!

I know that so many of my followers are such talented scrappers, and I wanted to let you all know that Sketch N Scrap is having their first ever Guest Designer contest for September.  If you would like to be considered, just complete a layout based on this sketch and link it up in THIS POST by August 20th at 5pm PST!   Our winner will be asked to create two layouts for the month of September based on our September sketches which will be emailed to you no later then August 21st.  I hope you can play along!