Challenge Me Happy #18 Reveal

Happy Hump Day! Or I guess I should say Happy Leap Day :) Either way, it's time for another fantastic challenge at Challenge Me Happy! This one was right up my alley -- use masking on your layout. I LOVE masking and I do it a lot.

For this layout, I used a plastic flourish-type shaped mask and used watercolor paints. You know how I love rainbows & their gorgeous colors, so I went with those. The beauty of using black & white photos is that you can use any color scheme you want. I started with plain white cardstock and masked it, and then started adding from there. I actually only used one piece of patterned paper. The rest was white and I painted it using the matching watercolor paints.



I used my Martha button punch to create this button. I discovered I didn't have any matching blue buttons, so I just punched one :) I also used my Martha heart punch on this little side banner piece. I saw a really cute layout on Audrey Yeager's blog a few weeks ago where she used the negative space after punching a shape, and I decided to give it a go. LOVE the look of it!



The prize sponsor for this month is SOOOOOOOOO awesome!! Who doesn't love Nikki Sivils?!


The winner of this challenge will win an awesome paper collection from Nikki. What's not to love? Be sure to upload your masking project on the Challenge Me Happy blog HERE. Have a GREAT day!

Just because...

Hey there, scrappy friends! I can't believe it has been almost a week since I posted. Where does the time go? I have a few layouts to share that I made just because. No challenges or contests...just scrapping for me.

These are some pictures of Reese during her first year of Pre-K. It was Field Day and they were playing games and playing in water. Reese has sensory issues, so being in the mix with the chaos of a lot of kids makes her want to retreat off by herself. In the first picture, you can see her standing in the middle of the two pools...very uneasy about getting involved. Once the masses cleared out, she considered getting into the pool, but only for a second :)

The background of this didn't turn out like I'd imagined...I used some Crayola watercolor paints, watered them down, dripped them onto my paper and then blew the drops through a straw. I still like the outcome...a crazy colorful background.






I used this sketch by Page Maps:


This layout is similar to one I created several weeks ago...they are similar photos (Paige in the pool) and the colors are the same. I just love smearing paint, and these bright summer colors make it so fun & easy. I used a plastic flourish mask and used chalk to make the swirly waves...love how that turned out!


I drew some loopy loops and then stitched over them to give some more pops of pink.


Thanks for stopping by! I have a few reveals coming this week, so be sure to visit again in a few days :) Have a great day!

Scrapbookers Anonymous Feb. Challenge

Hey there! I wanted to pop on today to share a layout I made for the current Scrapbookers Anonymous Challenge, which is to use hearts & stitching. Done and done! Two of my favorite things :) I used a Valentine stack from K & Company from a few years ago.

I did lots of misting, and I stitched and stamped around the perimeter of the page. I added some buttons & twine and some journaling strips, and it all just came together.



I was inspired by this cute Page Maps sketch:


Thanks for stopping by!

Artful Delight Sketch

Good Monday morning! I have a layout to share today...it's the latest sketch challenge going on over at Artful Delight. I had these three pictures of Paige just playing, and when I saw the sketch I knew it would be perfect for them. I knew these photos would be difficult to scrap because of the colors, and after digging through all of my stash, I realized none of my patterned papers matched up. So...I went for plain old cardstock. I embossed the yellow circles & the orange one. I created the large orange circle with bubble wrap & paint and then stitched around it. I punched stars from cardboard...from a baby wipe box :) Then I outlined them with twine...love how they turned out! It's a pretty simple page...not a lot of bells & whistles. Sometimes I like them just like that :)




Here's the sketch:
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

XOXO - ScrapFIT #62 Reveal!

Valentine's Day continues with the newest workout at ScrapFIT :) Workout #62 involves using lots of XOXOs on your project! I had the perfect K & Company papers for this one. I love the pinks with touches of orange here and there. They match Paige's onesie perfectly!





I used this awesome Page Maps sketch for inspiration :)

KStudio is back as our prize sponsor for February!

Check out this awesome kit you can win!

You really must hop on over to the blog & check out the other team members' layouts! They just keep outdoing themselves with every workout!

10 Years Ago...

Today is reveal day at Challenge Me Happy! It's Challenge #17 and all you have to do is create a layout titled "10 Years Ago." I was really nervous about doing this one because I don't really do layouts about myself. I've done one other one for another DT assignment, and I wound up LOVING it! I've always scrapped my children and that's it. Doing a layout about myself turned out to be a good thing because I've decided to start a scrapbook of just "me" pages. This one is a page I'd never have thought to do on my own, so I'm so thankful for such wonderful challenges!

Ten years ago, I was 25 and I was a high school English teacher and JV Cheerleading Coach. I had no children at this point and had been married for two years. I scrapped my old yearbook photo from that year and even took a picture of the cheerleading page in the yearbook. I had so much fun creating this one! The school's colors are black and gold, so I just had to use those colors.



I wanted to add something that reminded me of cheerleading, so created these cute little banners with toothpicks.


I pop-dotted my banner...another "cheery" element :)


I have to show the amazing sketch I used to help me along with this...check it out! It's from Page Maps...I really love it because it's just so different.

Our sponsor for this challenge is:

Scrapbook Outlet NZ Ltd is based in Invercargill, New Zealand. Coming soon our 2012 Design Team call where we will be looking for designers from around the world. To find out more please visit us at www.scrapbookoutletnz.co.nz where submission details will be posted very soon. We are super excited to currently have all the K&Company very sought after SMASH items in stock and thrilled to be sponsoring this challenge with some of these very popular items.

Prize from Scrapbook Outlet NZ Ltd contains:
K&Co SMASH – Mod Black SMASH Folio
K&Co SMASH – Blue SMASH Bands
K&CO SMASH – Birdie SMASH Mark
K&CO SMASH – Write In SMASH Stickies

Be sure to hop over to the blog and check out what the rest of the awesome DT created about their lives ten years ago. Lots of inspiration there!

In other news of complete awesomeness, I just read that I won the latest challenge at The Paper Variety! My "Silly Bathtub Antics" page was randomly chosen as the winner! You can see it on my previous post. I won a gorgeous kit from Authentique and a $10 gift certificate to My Scraps & More!! YESSSSSSSSSSS!!

Have a GREAT day!!

The Paper Variety & My Mind's Eye

Hey there, scrappy friends! I have two layouts to share today. I've been working on lots of layouts, but they are for design teams and can't be shown yet. Later this week I'll be able to post them :)

I loved the sketch over at The Paper Variety...it's their latest challenge. I turned it on its side to accomodate my photos. I should have printed these pictures in black and white because our old green bathtub is VERY hard to match up to scrappy papers...haha! But I managed to make it work...I just grabbed a few papers that sort of matched and then decided to throw in some reds. You know how I have to match things up perfectly...well, this one just wasn't happening. I would never throw red in with that old green tub! Never say never...haha!

This was one of those layouts that I couldn't ever really finish. I kept staring at it, thinking of what to add to it, and I just couldn't decide. I finally gave up and just left it as is. I tried to add buttons, twine, more stars...nothing looked right. So this is it... :)





Here is the sketch...and I rotated it.


I also created this layout for the latest sketch challenge at My Mind's Eye. I love Anam's sketches, and this one is just awesome. For some reason, her sketches always inspire me to create a clean & neat page instead of a splattery, messy one. So this is what I came up with...I used papers from Quite the Contrary. I can't resist precious photos of my girls napping. I could stare at them all day!





Here is the beautiful sketch:


Thanks for stopping by! Have a terrific Monday :)

Lots of fun at ScrapFIT!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I wanted to share the sample layout I created for the current Weekend Warm-Up over at ScrapFIT. The rules are to use some kind of clusters on your layout...photos, flowers...whatever you can come up with.

Here is what I made...lots of messy misting & paint smearing, followed up with photo & circle clusters. I just started creating this messy background and had multiple photos to use on this one page. I couldn't decide on a neat & clean design, so I decided to go all random. It worked! My only complaint about lots of painting & misting is the warping of the paper...it makes it hard to get a perfectly straight photo to post! And I don't have to patience to flatten it before I start to work...haha!





Today is the first Step Class at ScrapFIT!! The new Step Coach, Sheila, has a great chipboard & fabric tutorial for you! If you play along, you have a chance to be featured in the FITGirl Spotlight, just like you do for participating in the WWUs! Head on over & check it out!

Recipe for Summer Fun

I know it's Winter, but I am smack dab in the middle of scrapping photos from May 2010! Lots of sunny pool pictures to scrap :) I always wind up scrapping photos from one season in the middle of another...haha. And even though it's February, it's actually like summer here in Florida. It's in the mid-80s, seriously! The weather is gorgeous!

Anyway...I have a layout to share that I made for the Paper Thrills DT. The latest challenge (which was supposed to go up on Wednesday, but hasn't...) is to include a recipe on your layout. I hate cooking and have no good recipes that I would even want to scrap, so I came up with a "recipe" for the Perfect Summer Day :) I used mostly papers from Echo Park's Summer Line.



I stamped the tickets...aren't they so cute?!



I used this amazing sketch from Page Maps...I LOVE it!!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend :)

New Team Reveal at ScrapFIT!

Happy February, everyone! This is my favorite month. Today is the first reveal for the newest team at ScrapFIT. Today's Workout is about starting with plain white cardstock and building your layout from there...also known as the Blank Canvas Workout #61!

I created this fun & colorful layout...you know how I love bright colors, and rainbows are so much fun!





To create this look, I dripped some paint onto my paper and then took a plastic popsicle stick that came with some rubons and drug it through the paint. I fell in love with this look as soon as I saw it...and I've never been one to smear paint, but now I'm LOVING it! Haha!


The sponsor for this workout is:

ShopKStudios -- an Etsy Store, and here is what you could win!

Be sure to visit the ScrapFIT blog HERE and see the seriously amazing layouts from the new team! They are SOOOOO good! Upload your layout on the blog for a chance to win!