A do-over challenge

I noticed that the wonderfully talented Amber posted a "do-over challenge" on her blog. The idea is to create a fresh, new take on an old project.

So, I decided to play along, but needed to choose a card. I'm pleased to say that in searching through my cards, I didn't find very many that I felt I needed to "do-over". However, I did find this one, that I made last summer, for a MIM at PTI (you can see the original post here.)

It was for a decreasing apertures challenge. I liked the patterned paper I chose, but wasn't crazy about the triangle (I really struggled with the Tranquility Trilogy set!) AND, I strongly dislike the placement of the flowers. I'm not sure what I was thinking on this one....

Anyway, I decided to try to repeat the design and I challenged myself to use some striped patterned paper again. Here's what I came up with:

I used PTI cardstock (true black), rustic twine, buttons, stamps (Think Big Favourites #12) and dies (Mega Mat Stack #5, Mat Stack #5).  The patterned paper is We R Memory Keepers.

Thanks for looking!

Engaged

In October, as an engagement present to my nephew and his fiancée, I took some photos of the happy couple (one of which they ended up using for their wedding invitations.) I decided to make a layout using some of my favourite shots that day...

I used American Crafts cardstock (white) and Papertrey Ink cardstock (fine linen), stamps (love & marriage, bb:woodgrain), rustic twine & dies (mega mat stack 4, tiny tags, heart border). The patterned paper is Fancy Pants.

Here are a few close-ups:

Thanks for looking!

A birthday layout

I scrapbooked some of the photos I took of Sage's cowgirl-themed birthday party in September. I used Picasa3 to create a photo collage and had it printed as an 8x10.

I used Bazzill (white) & Papertrey Ink (sweet blush, dark chocolate, stamper's select white) cardstock, Studio Calico patterned paper. For the title, I printed it out on my computer using the font Bleeding Cowboy and stamped over it with my PTI stamps (stitches & swirls). For the star embellishment, I had made Cowgirl cookies to give to the girls. The site had some Free downloads. I used the pink ones to decorate the cookie jars and decided to die cut one of the cowboy cookies labels with one of my PTI Seeing Stars dies.

Thanks for looking!

Six for Saturday

Because I missed my usual "Five for Friday" post yesterday, I thought I'd post a "Six for Saturday" today.

1. The reason for missing my post is because we took a day trip to Brandon yesterday. The kids didn't have school and the weather was good, so we drove there to pick up some parts for Cameron's cattle oiler and did a little shopping, too. I found a three quarter length black wool coat for $40 (it was regularly priced at $150!) It's very classic and warm-- I'm sure I'll wear it for years!

2. AND, I wasn't the only one to get a new winter jacket.... When we went to Children's Place to exchange a top for Sage, I spotted a pink & black winter jacket for Sage on the sales' rack. It was regular $79.95, marked down to $19.99, PLUS I had a 25% coupon code, so I got it for $15! I also snagged a matching toque for $2.25. I love successful shopping trips!

3. I'm on Day 28 of No Sugar/No Deep-Fried foods. Yay! It's been a little easier lately, probably because I don't want to break my streak. ;) I actually had a dream that I'd had some sugar and was so disappointed in myself. I've been doing taekwondo three nights a week, but haven't started the 30 day shred up again.... yet... ;)

When I stopped at the clinic to drop off something for a friend, I noticed that they had a scale there for the public to use. Since I hadn't weighed myself in months, I thought it might be a good idea to see where I was at. Well, it probably wasn't the greatest idea, because I weighed 5 lbs more than I thought I would... It was a little depressing, to tell you the truth. However, I decided that it would only strengthen my resolve to keep going. I'll wait another 6 weeks or so before I weigh myself again...

4. I got a couple of new additions to my craft space this week.... so I thought I'd tidy up my area and share some photos with you...

My scrap space is located in a corner of our basement. I have a long table that I use as my desk and a wooden shelf (that used to be a window valence at my church) where I display some favourite photos & my wooden stamps:

On the left-hand side of my table, I store my 12x12 patterned paper in hanging file folders, sorted by manufacturer, as well as my Papertrey Ink cardstock, sorted by colours. The little basket in front of the cardstock stores extra diecuts. The little angel hanging there was given to me at church on Christmas Eve (everyone got one-- they're to remind us that God is always with us.)

This is my new revolving four tray storage container that I got this week. Cameron helped me put it together. :)

In it, I'm storing...
Top tray: PTI felt, thread and bling
Second tray: my PTI ink
Third tray: adhesive, tools and twine
Botton tray: my A Muse Studio inks and acrylic block

I have several sections empty, which will leave room for new inks, etc.

Beside this, I have a black metal caddy that holds my scissors, bone folder, large adhesive gun, pencils, pens & craft knife.

Then, I have these three storage boxes:

In the first one, I store my PTI stamps, in Tim Holtz stamp folders. I love this system, as it's super easy to flip through my stamps to find the perfect one for my project! I always think I should store them in alphabetical order, but it usually ends up that I just store them with the ones I used recently at the front.

The second box holds embellishments (diecuts, journaling cards, a few stickers, flowers, etc.)

The third box holds my photos, which are sorted chronologically (most of the time!)

Beside the boxes, I have a card display rack that I use to store my non-PTI stamps & punches.

Adjacent to my table...

I have a diecutting station set up, with my new Big Shot (which I love! Isn't it pretty?) and my PTI dies stored in Tim Holtz stamp folders, a system that works for me.

5. If you're wondering why my Big Shot is new, it's because I replaced my Cuttlebug with it. I found that my Cuttlebug just didn't cut my dies properly. I always needed the shim, even with the "non-intricate" dies, like mat stack 4. I also found that my impression plates didn't impress very well at all. And some of my intricate dies didn't cut well, even with the shim. So, after trying my friend, Marlo's, Big Shot, and finding a great deal online on Amazon.com, I sold my Cuttlebug (& some of my Tim Holtz, Cuttlebug and Quickutz dies) and used that money to pay for my Big Shot and the 12" revolving trays.

6. I had the week off this past week (it was exam week at the high school where I substitute teach), so on Wednesday, my friend, Susan, invited me over for the day to scrapbook (so fun!)

Here's one of the layouts I made that day:

I used Studio Calico patterned paper & letter stickers, a Pink Paislee metal embellishment ("The Best"), My Mind's Eye decorative brads and PTI cardstock (stamper's select white) & dies (mega mat stack #4, doily details).

Here's a close up of the journaling:

Thanks for looking!

PTI January Blog Hop

Once again, I've decided to play along with the Papertrey Ink blog hop and this month the challenge is to choose a favourite project that I made in 2011 and then use that as inspiration to create another project.

I decided to choose the card I made for the October Blog Hop, orginally posted here:


I love the fall feel of this card and wondered if I could create something with a similar design, but using a different season...

Here's what I came up with:

I used PTI cardstock (stamper's select white, raspberry fizz), stamps (rosie posie, botanical silhouettes), impression plate (woodgrain) & dies (picket fence). The patterned paper is My Mind's Eye (blue polka dots, text) & Crate Paper (green).

Thanks for looking!

Doubling up

I made another card using both the My Mind's Eye Blog challenge card sketch and this week's Make It Monday at Papertrey Ink: Ghost Masking.

I used My Mind's Eye patterned paper, decorative brad and banner, star & number stamps. I also used Papertrey Ink cardstock (rustic white, hawaiian shores, true black) & stamps (label basics, wonderful words additions) & dies (seeing stars, wonderful words).

Thanks for looking!

My Mind's Blog Challenges #31

I decided to participate in My Mind's Eye Blog Challenges #31 this weekend.

I tackled the layout sketch first:

I used Bazzill cardstock (cream, dark grey), My Mind's Eye patterned paper, decorative brad and "favorite" & banner stamps, Papertrey Ink stamps (delightful doilies, label basics) & dies (beautiful blooms II #1, label basics). The alphabet stickers are Webster's Pages.

Here are some close-ups of the title and journaling:

Then, I tackled the card sketch, using some of the same elements:


I used My Mind's Eye patterned paper and "so much" stamps, Papertrey Ink cardstock (smokey shadow) & stamps (delightful doilies, label basics, happy trails). I also used this week's Make It Monday at Papertrey Ink: Ghost Masking.

What are you working on this weekend?

Thanks for looking!

Five for Friday

1. Yay, it's Friday! I'm so ready for the weekend! I worked four days this week, which I find pretty busy. I told the kids this morning that I think tomorrow will be a "Jammies Day." So, I'm hoping to tidy up the house after school today so that tomorrow can be free for some scrapbooking (with a little laundry thrown in, you know, just for fun. ;) )

2. I'm pretty excited about some new additions to my craft space which should be arriving shortly... I sold my Cuttlebug and some Tim Holtz/Cuttlebug/Quickutz dies to a friend of mine and decided to use that money towards purchasing a Big Shot and a stacked revolving tray.

3. So far, I've been doing pretty well with my New Year's Resolutions (which is saying something for me, because I usually tend to drop them in the first two weeks!) I've gone 20 days without sugar and deep-fried foods! Yay! The exercising part hasn't gone as well, though. I'm going to TKD three days a week, but I only made it to day 8 of the 30 Day Shred... and that was a week ago. I need to get back on that...

4. Jonah really likes the old typewriter that I picked up in the summer at a garage sale for $8. Even though the ribbon needs to be replaced (I really need to figure out where to get new ribbon for it), he'll type out notes and messages to give to me. They often include requests for Lego Star Wars and/or chicken noodle soup. Well, before Christmas, they were starting to get a little more demanding, with requests for "$" or he would stop doing the "dishis." They were so cute, I just knew I had to save them! And, what better way to do so than on a layout?

I used the back of a sheet of kraft Fancy Pants patterned paper for my background and added a Crate Paper border strip along the bottom. For the block of patterned paper, I started with a scrap of Crate patterned paper that had polka dots on it, to which I added some PTI Grunge Me, Modern Wood Mats and Label Basics stamps. I created the title with PTI Smokey Shadow cardstock and my PTI alphabet block dies. The little brad is Basic Grey and the other two I made using some left-over stamped images and my SU! Build a Brads.

Here are a couple of close ups of the letters he wrote us:

I used this week's Make It Monday at Papertrey Ink: Ghost Masking, to add a decorative element to the patterned paper block I stamped:



5. A friend of ours from taekwondo is moving away, so I thought I'd make him a card to let him know how much we'll miss him. We've been training together for several years and he & I tested for our black belts together in May. Since I was making a layout using the ghost masking technique, I decided to repeat it on a card:

I used PTI cardstock (soft stone, smokey shadow, kraft), stamps (grunge me, basic labels, wonderful words) and dies (wonderful words). The patterned paper I stamped on is, again, Crate Paper.

Thanks for looking & have a great weekend!

I'm not sure....

...if this would be a better wedding card or anniversary one... I made it several months ago using a sketch for an upcoming PaperCrafts magazine, but, unfortunately, it didn't get chosen, so I figured that it would be safe to share it here. ;)

I used PTI cardstock (stamper's select white), stamps (Big & Bold Wishes) & dies (Beautiful Blooms II #1). The patterned paper is Fancy Pants (grey check) and  Cosmo Cricket and the decorative brads are My Mind's Eye.

Thanks for looking!

For the record

We had piano lessons this morning. I drive all three kids there for 8am (Sage's lesson). Then, when Jonah starts his lesson at 8:30, I drive Austin & Sage to their schools and then go back to pick up Jonah. I really love listening to him play! I'm amazed at how quickly he picks things up-- he's very gifted!

While I was driving him to school after his lesson, after telling him how great he is, I thought of how special Jonah is to me. I've always been conscious that he not feel like the stereotypical "middle child" and I'm pretty sure he doesn't. He is probably my most "low-maintenance" child, but he is so good-natured & easy to be around-- I just love spending time with him!

I made this layout last week and realized I hadn't shared it yet...

I used PTI cardstock (kraft) & stamps (turning a new leaf), My Mind's Eye patterned paper & diecut and my SU! scalloped edge punch.

Thanks for looking!

Pages with Papertrey -- Sketch #5

I apologize for being a day late with this...

I made my own sketch this month for my Pages With Papertrey sketch. I wanted to include room for many photos...

And here's the layout I made with it:

I used Echo Park patterned paper, PTI cardstock (vintage cream, simply chartreuse), stamps (I selectively inked the "the" from Wonderful Words Additions), button & dies (alphabet block, layerz mat stack #4, love lives here.)

Here's a close up of the journaling:

If you make a layout using this sketch, I'd love to see it! Please post a link either in this thread or in my comments.

Thanks for looking!

MIM #48 -- attempt #5

I decided to make one more project with this week's Make it Monday at Papertrey Ink: creating backgrounds with border dies: a layout featuring a photo of my best, best girl.

I used PTI cardstock (rustic white, pure poppy), stamps (wonderful words additions, journaling lines, tag it's #6) and dies (mat stack #4, layerz mat stack #4, heart border). The polka dot patterned paper is Echo Park (red) and Simple Stories (green).

Thanks for looking!

MIM #48 -- attempt #4

I decided to attempt this week's Make it Monday at Papertrey Ink: creating backgrounds with border dies with a layout.

I chose some photos of my favourite boys taken at this past summer's Corn & Apple Festival.

I used American Crafts cardstock (white 12x12) and PTI cardstock (stamper's select white), PTI stamps, buttons (boy basics: simple circles) & dies (simple circles border, alphabet block). The chevron patterned paper is My Mind's Eye and the label where I put the date is Crate.

Thanks for looking!

MIM #48 -- attempt #3

I'm loving the idea of using border dies as backgrounds (this week's Make it Monday at Papertrey Ink), so I decided to use it again on a card for my brother's girlfriend, Tatiana.

I used PTI cardstock (kraft, raspberry fizz, rustic cream), stamps (stitches and swirls, happy day) and dies (mat stack #4, layerz mat stack #4, fillagree border die).

Thanks for looking!

Five for Friday

1. Well, our Christmas holidays have come to an end this week and it's been back to school/work for our household. Sigh.... Thankfully I get a week off at the end of January for exams at the high school. There's always something to look forward to, right? ;)

2. I got some happy mail this week! Scrapbook Trends magazine requested one of my layouts for their June issue.

3. I wanted to share a layout I made last weekend, using a favourite photo of my boys.

I used Crate Paper & Simple Stories patterned paper  (which I used for the title) and some My Mind's Eye (green), Girls' Paperie (map) and Basic Grey (new york) decorative brads. I added a PTI Wonderful Words stamp ("together") to the subtitle with some Versafine Onyx ink.

Here are a couple of close ups:

4. We have a big event tomorrow for Cameron's side of the family. The first grandchild, our nephew, Luke, is getting married. I still remember meeting him when Cameron and I were dating.... he was four years old! And now he's getting married! How time flies....

5. In honour of #4, I thought I'd share the card I made for Luke and his bride, Laura, which I used several techniques, including this week's Make it Monday at Papertrey Ink: creating backgrounds with border dies.

I used PTI cardstock (kraft, aqua mist), stamps (love & marriage), twine, button, impression plate (woodgrain) and dies (heart border).

I cut several strips of the heart border die out of kraft cardstock and adhered it to a kraft base. Then, I ran the whole thing through my Cuttlebug with my woodgrain impression plate. For the sentiment/tree image, I first stamped the sentiment in Versamark and heat embossed it with black embossing powder. Then, I stamped the tree image over the sentiment in Versamark and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. I added some twine and a button to finish it off.

Enjoy your weekend!
Thanks for looking!

MIM #48 -- attempt #1

This week's Make it Monday at Papertrey Ink is creating backgrounds with border dies. Since my new favourite PTI product is the Fillagree border die, I just knew I had to play along.

I used PTI cardstock (pure poppy, rustic white), stamps (happy day, communique sentiments), button and dies (happy day, fillagree border.) I die cut some Echo Park patterned paper with the border die cut and added some baker's twine from my LSS.

Thanks for looking!

Another Christmas layout

I made another Christmas layout, using some photos I took of the kids on Christmas morning, with their gifts:

I used Bazzill cardstock (white 12x12), PTI cardstock (stamper's select white), stamps (love lives here: holidays, Christmas labels, holiday lights (I selectively stamped "Christmas")) & dies (Christmas labels). I also used Echo Park patterned paper and Lily Bee stickers.

Here's a close up of the bough and ornaments I stamped with LLH: Holidays.

Thanks for looking!

Some Christmas layouts

After birthday layouts, I think my least favourite layouts to scrapbook are Christmas ones. I know, strange, right? I think a lot of it has to do with the poor photos I take on Christmas morning. I'm never happy with the quality of them-- eight am in southern Manitoba just isn't bright enough in my living room to take a good picture. And for some strange reason, my kids don't want to wait until 10am to open their presents..... ;)

Anyway, even if they're not my favourite to scrapbook, I know that I'll want to look back and remember these moments, as well as preserve them for my kids. So, I try to get most of them done in January, while the memories are fresh and I'm still enjoying the Christmas patterned paper I bought.

So, that being said, here are two layouts that I made at my friend, Susan's house the other day. We got together to scrapbook while our kids played together-- it was a great afternoon!

Now, I was pretty happy with these photos. Sage had written and illustrated a story for Austin called "The Monster." She'd wrapped it up and everything. I love how he took the time to read it right away-- it was such a sweet moment on Christmas morning!

I used Simple Stories (pointsettia with text, green polka dot) & Echo Park (cream) patterned paper, Papertrey Ink cardstock (rustic cream) and stamps (I stamped three Peace Be Still snowflakes in the bottom right hand corner to balance out the snowflakes on the patterned paper in the top left hand corner.

And all I used for this next layout was some Simple Stories patterned paper. I had to get a little creative with my placement, as the "Christmas Top Five" journaling card was printed on the back of the background sheet I used.

Here's a closeup of the journaling:

Thanks for looking!