Stamp-a-faire 2014 Friday Night Meet & Greet

Hi there! 

Sage & I spent part of the afternoon tidying up our craft space in preparation

for tomorrow's Stamp-a-Faire at Papertrey Ink.

Here's the video we made for the SAF 2014 Meet & Greet --

special thanks to Jonah for being our cameraman and for making

the many attempts at this video so entertaining!

Thanks for looking!

Pretty Pink Posh Cutting Edge Blog Hop

Today's the day for the Pretty Pink Posh Cutting Edge Blog Hop!

I decided to pair the large tag from Paulina's Stitched Duo 1 Dies & aquamarine sequins 

with my Reverse Confetti Perfectly Paisley Confetti Cuts & Fabulous Flamingo stamps & Confetti Cuts.

I die cut the tag from vintage cream card stock and then die cut the Perfectly Paisley Confetti Cuts from it.

I traced the shapes with a pencil onto the aqua mist card stock and then adhered my sequins.

The sentiment is from Reverse Confetti's Let's Chill.

So, you'll definitely want to take part yourself in this blog hop....

Just check out the fabulous sponsors:

Check out the details on Paulina's blog to link up your project.

Thanks for looking!

Cas(e) this Sketch #89

Today, I have a card to share that I made using

 CAS(E) This Sketch #89 which was designed by me. :)

Here's the card I made using a Studio Calico pocket scrapbooking card.

Over the SC journaling card, I layered a banner (die cut from Heidi Swapp patterned paper using

Papertrey Ink's Get A Handle on It Die) and a PTI Wet Paint die cut.

A few Pretty Pink Posh sequins (6mm Pink Blush, 4mm Lemon Meringue) finish it off.

Visit CAS(E) this Sketch to see the rest of the DT's takes on my sketch 

and to play along, if you'd like.

You have until Thursday, August 28th to link up your card.

Oh, and before you go... I have a card

that I made with the August Card Sketch

on the Chickaniddy Crafts blog today.

Here's a peek:

I would love it if you would stop by and 

check it out!

Thanks for looking!

The Creative Blog Hop

Today, I'm honoured to be a part of a blog hop that's spreading through Blogland called The Creative Blog Hop.

Every Monday, a blogger is tagged. 

He or she has to answer four questions and tag three other creative bloggers. 

The idea is for us Bloggers to get to know each other a little bit better. 

The amazingly talented Alexandra Sirugue Macleod tagged me last Monday.

I was so honoured that she chose me -- she creates such wonderful cards & project life spread --

I find her work very inspiring!

So, a little about me....

My name is Leigh Davies Penner and I have been blogging since 2005.

I had been scrapbooking for almost 2 years at that time and had been involved in some

online forums and had noticed that others were starting blogs & thought I'd join in.

Since I have two brothers that don't live nearby, I thought a blog would be a great way 

for them to see pictures of my kids and keep up with what we're doing.

From there, my blog became a place for me to share my scrapbooking layouts, and later, cards.

I have been married to my husband, Cameron, for 18 years and together,

we have three beautiful children: Austin, Jonah & Sage.

(This is the most recent photo I have of all of us..... it was taken last fall.)

We live in Morden, Manitoba, Canada, where I work as a substitute teacher, which I enjoy, 

because it leaves time for me to play in my craft area.

When I'm not working or crafting, I enjoy reading, teaching Sunday School, going for bike rides,

going to taekwondo with my kids (I'm a second degree black belt & my kids are all junior black belts)

& spending time with my family & friends.

Onto the questions....

 What am I working on right now?

I love making cards and layouts!

I've been busy making some cards for a few DT assignments.

However, this year, I started a Monthly Moments pocket album & as well as a Summer Album.

This weekend, I was able to get two pages of my Summer Album done.

Here's a close up of my first page:

I love this photo of my son, Jonah, in the duct tape hammock we made!

The card that I wrote my journaling on is Studio Calico.

And here's the second page:

To make this journaling card, I die cut some white card stock using PTI's Journaling Card 1 die.

I stamped the border using PTI's Monthly Moments: Travel Plans and aqua mist ink.

I diecut and stamped the peach (from PTI's Scent-imentals).

The sentiment is Studio Calico.

(I'm linking this up to this week's Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Summer.)

 Why do I created what I do?

I started scrapbooking when my second son, Jonah, was nine months old.

It was love at first sight!

I'd always loved taking photos and preserving memories and scrapbooking was such a lovely way to do this!

However, I also really enjoy the creative process -- playing with pretty papers & embellishments

and later, stamping and creating my own.

People always say how much my kids will appreciate my albums..... but quite honestly,

while I know this is true, I mostly do it for me. 

So I will remember, but also because I just really enjoy making layouts. :)

When I started stamping in 2011, I also starting making cards, which I also love!

It's just such a fun hobby that really makes me happy in so many ways....

How does my work differ from others in my genre?

I would say that I'm equally a scrapbooker & a card maker.

I would describe my style as clean & pretty.

I recently starting selling my cards in a local gift store & as the owner looked through

my cards, she kept saying: "Oh, these are so fun!"

I'm not sure how my work really differs, but I do know that I have my own style

and I love being creative with the elements I put together.

How does my creative process work?

I spend a lot of time thinking about layouts & cards.... coming up with ideas, etc.

I often keep a notebook with me (especially at work) and will sketch out ideas.

Then, when I have time to stamp, I'll pull out my notebook and get to work.

With scrapbooking, I'll start with patterned papers that coordinate with my photos.

With cards, I usually start with a stamp set (or two, or more) and go from there.

Okay, now that I've shared with you about me,

it's time to introduce the people I'm tagging my the hop.

Now, I have to explain that I contacted five people and three got back to me

and said, with it being summer and having other things going on, 

that unfortunately, they couldn't participate in the hop.

But I decided to still share their names and blogs here for you to check out, 

because you won't be sorry you did:

Elena Roussakis -- she makes the sweetest cards and plans amazing parties!

Sherri Funk -- she creates the most fabulously fun scrapbooking layouts 

Amy Kolling -- her CAS style is so lovely & eye-catching 

I have two "taggers" that said they could participate in the hop:

The first is the incredibly talented Joni Andaya, 

who will be posting for The Creative Blog Hop next Monday, August 25th.

I've been following Joni's blog for over a year now and she creates the most beautiful cards!

 They are all seriously jaw-dropping and I'm in awe of her talent, creativity & skill.

I'm quite thrilled to be on two design teams with her: Reverse Confetti & Pretty Pink Posh.

And the second is the equally talented Erin Taylor,
who will be also be posting for The Creative Blog Hop next Monday, August 25th.
I'm not sure how I first came across Erin's blog -- it was probably through Papertrey Ink.
However, I quickly added her to my list of favourite blogs to visit.
She makes such lovely cards and has such a great eye for design.
She also creates wonderful scrapbooking layouts, which I enjoy immensely.
She also contacted me last fall and we did a joint challenge together which was lots of fun!

I want to thank Alexandra again for choosing me to be in the hop --
it really meant a lot for me to be chosen!

Thanks for looking!

Relax..... Just Be You

Today, I have a card to share that I made using some Reverse Confetti  

stamps & confetti cuts.

I diecut some sweet Authentique patterned paper using

the fabulous tag from the Tag Me, Too confetti cuts.

I also diecut the tag circle and the "you" from some coordinating patterned paper.

I stamped the "just be" from All About You, which works so perfectly

with the "you" diecut from Tag Me, Too!

A fun bike image (also Authentique) and some buttons & twine finish it off.

 

I'm linking this up to this week's Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Summer.

Thanks for looking!

Reverse Confetti August Colour Challenge

Well, it's the 16th of the month, which means that

there is a new Colour Challenge up on the Reverse Confetti blog today! 

Here's the card I made with it:

I started with a background of My Mind's Eye patterned paper 

and layered it over some navy card stock.

I die cut the "you" from the Tag Me, Too Confetti Cuts and stamped the "hooray for" from Winning.

The stars are also from Winning, which I stamped in Versamark and heat embossed in gold.

A few Pretty Pink Posh sequins finish it off.

 

Be sure to check out the Reverse Confetti blog to see what

the other designers created using this colour combo!

Thanks for looking!

Five for Friday

1. We are making the very most of our summer....

On Sunday, we went to the Winkler Harvest Festival and took in the rodeo.

On Monday, we joined some friends at the beach.

On Wednesday, we went to the Manitou pool. 

By the way, that red slide was super steep -- and kind of scary, to tell you the truth. 

But I plucked up my courage and slid down it three times. ;)

2. Yesterday was my birthday and I had a great day!

We went to the library reading program wind-up at the park and Austin won

the Hunger Games book set (which he traded with the girl who won the Divergent book set -- too funny!)

My best friend, Val, took me out for lunch at the golf course -- so nice to spend time visiting together!

In the afternoon, I took Jonah & Sage to test drive a Dodge Charger for fun (Jonah's big into cars). 

Big mistake -- it was a really nice car, but unfortunately, not one we can afford right now. Sigh.

Austin had a gift card for Boston Pizza and took us out for supper.

We had our taekwondo black belt class in the evening.

I also wanted to share what Sage gave me for my birthday....and the sweet card she made.

I love this bike/clock! It's so me!

And here's her sweet card -- using the new PTI MIM Country Fair kit.

I'm linking her card up to this week's Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Summer

and to the Simon Says Stamp Summer Vacation Kid's Challenge.

3. We've been watching Lucy for the last three weeks and her owners got home last night.

She is such a wonderful dog. We all love her, but especially Jonah.

Hmmm, I'm predicting a layout in the near future.... ;)

4. I have a card to share that I made for Tag You're It Challenge #4

where we're being inspired by this lovely tag by TYIC Designer Marion:

I was inspired by inlaid die cut word at the top of the tag and the square beneath it.
I decided to use one of my Pretty Pink Posh tag dies,
along with my Simon Says Stamp hello die to make a shaker tag card.

I used Crate Paper The Pier patterned paper for my background,
which I layered over some vintage cream card stock.
I die cut the tag from cream card stock and then die cut the word die
and a square. Initially, I'd thought I'd switch out the Hello for a coloured die cut,
but I thought the cream on cream looked cool.
I filled the shaker with some Pretty Pink Posh wooden stars & sequins
(tangerine, 4mm lemon meringue, pink blush, pink peonies, raspberry).

Visit the Tag You're It Challenge Blog to see the rest of the DT's takes 

on the challenge and to play along, if you'd like.

You have until Wednesday, August 27th to link up your project.

5. And lastly, I have a new sketch to share for Pages With Papertrey:

For my layout, I substituted one 4x6 photo for the two on the right hand side
of the sketch and I put a chipboard frame with my journaling where the photo
on the left hand side was suppose to go.

I used some Crate Paper patterned paper and chipboard shapes/frames for my layout.
I die cut my title using my Papertrey Ink Notebook alphabet dies and some kraft card stock,
which I stamped using a My Favorite Things woodgrain stamp.

Here's a close up of the journaling, which I typed on my friend, Mandy's typewriter
(we were at a crop together when I made this layout.)

If you create a layout using this sketch, please link it up here in the comments on my blog
or here in the Papertrey Ink Forum. I'd love to see what you create!

Thanks for looking!

Cas(e) This Sketch #88

Today I have a card to share that I made for

 CAS(E) This Sketch #88 by Donna Mikasa:

And since today is my birthday, I decided to make a pretty card that
sums up how I feel. :)

I used Altenew's Painted Flowers stamp set to stamp my flowers
and a combination of PTI's Wet Paint II & Life is Beautiful stamp sets for my sentiment.
It was almost a one layer card until I stamped the "beautiful" strip and adhered it over top. ;)

Visit CAS(E) this Sketch to see the rest of the DT's takes on the sketch 

and to play along, if you'd like.

You have until Thursday, August 21st to link up your card.

Oh, and before you go, I also have a layout being featured over at Reverse Confetti 
today for the Confetti Camera series! 
I'd love for you to check it out!  

Thanks for looking!

Candles 'n Confetti Birthday Hop

We are celebrating a very special someone's birthday today!

Happy Birthday, Jen del Muro!

A few of the Reverse Confetti Crew and 'Fetti Friends are thrilled at the chance to surprise Jen 
with a celebratory hop in her honour and share birthday inspiration using Reverse Confetti!

The Candles 'n Confetti Birthday Hop started over at Stacey's blog and 

you should've made your way here by way of Heather Pulvirenti's blog. 

If not, make sure you start at the beginning of the hop so you don't miss a thing!

There's more...

Jen is making today even sweeter with a Reverse Confetti One-Day SALE!

Shop at Reverse Confetti TODAY and SAVE 20% off your entire order!

Shopping Code:  JENSBDAY20

Here's the card I made for Jen:

I used some Heidi Swapp patterned paper as my background.

I stamped the sentiments from So Very Special in versa mark and then in enchanted evening ink

onto the vellum and then heat embossed it in clear.

I die cut the tag using the bottom of the largest tag from Tag Me

and added some stitching and sequins.

 

Birthday Blog Hop Order

Stacey Schafer 

Amy Kolling

Tracey McNeely

Susan Liles

Lisa Henke

Laurie Schmidlin

Laurie Willison

Amy Sheffer

Sarah Gough

Heather Pulvirenti

Leigh Penner

Joni Andaya

Jessica Fick

Monika Davis

Last, but certainly not least...stop by and visit the birthday girl!

Jen del Muro, Reverse Confetti Blog

Now, it's time to hop over to Joni Andaya's blog blog for more Candles 'n Confetti!

Thanks for sharing in the birthday fun today!
Before you go, Reverse Confetti is one of the sponsors of the upcoming Pretty Pink Posh Blog Hop:

Click here for more details.

Thanks for looking!

Summer Album: July -- Part 4

Today, I have some more pages to share from my summer album.

(To see the first parts I've shared, click here.)

For this page, I used a Studio Calico journaling card, which I die cut using the PTI Journlaing Card 1 

die so it would be the same size as my other journaling cards.

The "snapshots of summer" & little camera are from PTI's MM: June stamp set.

This 4x6 journaling card is from PTI.

Here, I wrote my journaling out on another Studio Calico journaling card.

The "totally delightful" journaling card is also Studio Calico.

The other one is one I made using the PTI Journaling Card 1 die, as well as the Most Favourite stamp  from Neat & Tangled.

I inked the stamp in three different shades of blue to give it an ombre effect.

I used another Studio Calico journaling card on this page, 

along with some stamps from PTI's Get Lost stamp set.

And my last page for today...

The top one is a selfie that my brother took.

For the bottom photo, I had it printed with the words across it like that.

Thanks for looking!