New goodies

Earlier this fall, Sage & I were invited to a Close to my Heart party.

I ended up purchasing a stamp set, a kit (because I really liked the stamp set in the kit) and getting a third stamp set for free, which is always fun. ;)

I decided to ink up my new goodies this week.

I made this card.

In addition to the CTMH stamps, I used some Crate & WRMK patterned paper, Simon Says Stamp woodgrain card stock & some MME brads.

And I also made this layout.

I used some MME patterned paper and decorative brads.

I also used the CTMH stamp set that I got for free.

I have to tell you that I tried stamping this subway style sentiment stamp so many times. At least seven. 

Finally, on my last attempt, I messed up on the "fall", but I just decided to restamp it on another piece of card stock, cut it out and adhere it over top. I was done!

I used my PTI Leaf Prints dies to die cut the patterned paper leaves and my silhouette portrait to cut out my title.

I'm linking up this layout to My Mind's Eye's November Challenge: Gratitude.

Thanks for looking!

CASE Study Challenge #161 & PWP Sketch #26

I have a couple of projects to share today....

The first one is the card that I made for CASE Study Challenge #161, featuring one of my very favourite stampers, Elena Roussakis.
 

 

Now, as adorable as Elena's project is, it had me a little stumped.

I don't have any doll stamps or people stamps.

However, I really liked the idea of the "it's what's inside that counts theme."

 

So, when my daughter was saying how sad she'd be that I'm going away to Minneapolis

this coming weekend for the Women of Faith Conference and Jonah suggested that I make her cards for each day like I did for him when he went to camp, I starting thinking about what I could do.

Then, Sage told me that I could make three of the same card, if I wanted.

Well, that's when I got inspired!

 

So, I used my Simon Says stamp cat in a pumpkin stamp for the focal point on my card, which I paper-pieced with Crate Paper and Authentique patterned paper.

I used these same papers for my background and stitched around the three sides to create a pocket.

I decided to diecut three different patterned papers (Simple Stories (x2) & Teresa Collins)

with my PTI Edgers #5 dies to make little tabbed journaling cards.

I stamped each one with a day of the week stamp from PTI's Fabulous Frames set.

 

Sage can pull one card out each evening before bed to read my message for that day,

which includes her blessing.

So, even if it looks nothing like Elena's project, it was inspired by hers.

I'm linking this up to this week's Simon Says Stamp Challenge: use a rubber or clear stamp.

 

The next project I have to share is a sketch and a layout for Pages With Papertrey.

The sketch is Sketch #93 from Inspired Blueprints.

 

  

And here's my layout, which I changed to one 4x6 photo, instead of 6 2x2" photos.

I used My Mind's Eye patterned paper and enamel dots.

For my title, I diecut some PTI Terracotta Tile cardstock with my PTI Headline Alphabet dies

and stamped each one with my PTI BB:Woodgrain set.

I also did the same thing to the tab I diecut with my PTI Edger's #5 die.

 

I'm linking this layout up to the My Mind's Eye October Challenge: Chalk It Up.

 

Thanks for looking!

Life is a beautiful ride

I'm popping in today to post a layout that I made for the

 September Sketch Challenge on the My Mind's Eye blog.

Here's the sketch:

And here's my layout...

I used some of my new My Mind's Eye patterned paper and decorative brads.

I fussy cut the title from one of the sheets of patterned paper. 

I stamped a sentiment from PTI's Pedal Pusher as a sub-title.

Thanks for looking!

Summer highlights, part 1

Today I have a layout to share that I made for the August My Mind's Eye Challenge, which was to scrapbook your summer highlights.

I used My Mind's Eye patterned paper & enamel dots.

Summer isn't quite done for us yet, so for my layout, I gave it a subtitle of Part 1. ;)  I used Papertrey Ink dies (Headline Alphabet) and stamps (Antique Alphabet).

Here's my journaling, which I typed out on my typewriter. I didn't realize until after I was done that I had two #5s. Since it would have meant redoing the whole thing, I decided to just leave it. It's kind of charming, don't you think?

This week, we have some fun things planned: I'm spending the day tomorrow with my BFF and we're going shopping in the city. On Thursday, we'll go swimming with our church in the evening. On Friday, I'm taking the kids to Fun Mountain in the city & we'll sleep over at my mom's. And, on Saturday, I'm attending an all day crop with friends. It really is the best week! :)

Thanks for looking!

Things that make me happy

I want to share a layout that I made for the June Challenge on the My Mind's Eye Blog, which was to use the following photo as inspiration for a project.

I felt like there was a lot going on with this... design, colours and elements that we could include, so I did my best to include as many as I could into my layout.

I used American Crafts cardstock as my base and added some My Mind's Eye patterned paper. I was mindful to include some dark grey and white stripes and florals, as well as the colours suggested (although I chose more of a coral colour and a red, rather than the orange colour, of which I had little in my MME stash.)

I also took the basic design of the first part-- the grid-- and made a blocked design on my layout, putting my photo in the space of the large photo at the top.

For my title, I used PTI's Wonderful Words: Additions (stamps and die), along with my new Get a Handle on It die to make the flagged banners. Because I layered two of these for my title, I thought I'd enter this for this week's Make It Monday at Papertrey Ink: Flagged Borders.

And, with the inspiration photo including a bike, I had to include a bike using my new Pedal Pusher stamps and dies. The square above the bike includes part of a MME journaling card that I trimmed off and added to the patterned paper background. I stamped on it with my date stamp to give a time frame to my journaling.

And along the bottom, I made a little vellum pocket in which I tucked my journaling: a list of things I've enjoyed over the past week. On the front I stamped a flourish from PTI's Modern Wood Mats and "inside" from Movers and Shakers Sentiments. I folded a piece of PTI white cardstock and wrote on the front and back. Here's a glimpse at the back. Sorry for not sharing the front, too.... but it contains some good news that I got this week that I can't share quite yet. ;)

Thanks for looking!

Love this!

It has been a busy week with not a lot of crafty time..... I've been working, we've been busy with Festival of the Arts and we have a Taekwondo Club Tournament that we've been preparing for. Last night, I was so tired and I was hopping through my favourite blogs and thinking: "Oh, I'd love to make a layout!" So, I got up then and there and headed down to my area, determined to make a quick layout.

I decided to speed up the process by using a sketch. I chose this one from the My Mind's Eye Blog. It's their April Sketch Challenge:

I chose a photo that I took last week at the Festival Speech Arts to scrapbook. I was sitting close, with my fixed lens on my camera, so this was the best I could take.... but it still captured the moment, I think.

I used My Mind's Eye patterned paper, chipboard, journaling tag and decorative brads.

I used PTI's Get a Handle on It die to diecut a patterned paper banner to go with the chipboard banners. I've been hoarding that butterfly decorative brad forever!

Here's a close-up of the journaling. I loved that the journaling tag had this starter phrase on it!

For my title, I used Papertrey Ink Headline Alphabet stamps and dies. I also heat embossed them for this week's Make It Monday: Embossed Alpha Die Cuts.

For the banners beside the title, I used a scrap of Crate Paper patterned paper with the Get A Handle on It die which has both of my boys' ages on it (10 & 13). The chipboard banner wasn't quite the right shade of blue to match the patterned paper behind the photo, so I added some Aqua Mist ink to it using my Tim Holtz  blending tool.

Thanks for looking!

2 layouts & 2 cards

I have two more layouts and two more cards that I made for the March Challenge on the My Mind's Eye Blog to use their pre-printed diecuts, and for this week's Make It Monday at Papertrey Ink: two-toned stamped flowers for the first two cards.

I made this layout using AC cardstock, My Mind's Eye patterned paper and diecut (it's an old one-- I think it's So Sophie). I also used my PTI Headline Alphabet stamps to stamp my title and I added some splatters stamps from Grunge Me.

 

Here's a close-up of the MME diecut, on which I stamped with the two-toned stamping technique, using a Rosie Posie stamp. I layered a MME sticker over top and added some MME brads. Again, I added a Grunge Me splatter stamp.

For the journaling, I diecut it with PTI's Half & Half die and added a stamped sentiment from On the Farm.

I had a few scraps from The Sweetest Thing left on my desk, as well as this "wonderful" diecut, so I decided to put them together to make this quick layout.

I liked the two-toned flower technique I'd done on Austin's layout, so I decided to repeat it here, using a Delightful Doilies die.

And here's a close-up of my journaling:

And for the two cards I have to share this evening, both use the MIM two-toned flower technique...

I made this card using Funky Florals for the technique. I added a MME chipboard sentiment, as well as a stamped sentiment from Harvest Berries:

The melon berry background was stamped with my new WMS woodgrain stamp.

And Sage decided she wanted to participate in this week's MIM, so here is the card she made:

She used PTI cardstock (stamper's select white, hibiscus burst), stamps (rosie posie, stylish sentiments: birthday) and dies (edger's #3, delightful doilies and double-ended banner). The patterned paper is Echo Park.

Thanks for looking!

A set of cards

After making three layouts for the March Challenge on the My Mind's Eye Blog to use their pre-printed diecuts, I dug through my stash of diecuts/journaling cards and found a few more. Well, more than a few, really. So, I decided to make some cards with them.

Austin is going to Banff in April with his Jazz Choir from school and their having a fundraising concert next week. I was asked to contribute a set of cards for the auction. So these are the five cards I made for the set.

 In addition to the MME challenge, I also used this week's Make It Monday at Papertrey Ink: two-toned stamped flowers for the first two cards.

For all of my projects, I used MME patterned paper and diecuts.

On my first card, I stamped the largest flower from PTI's Cutting Garden stamp set in Melon Berry and Berry Sorbet. I used a post it note to mask the two sides and added a MME diecut sticker across the front. The twine and buttons are MME.

On my next card, I used the same stamp and technique, but this time using Melon Berry and Terracotta Tile, but sewed across the "seam" and added a MME chipboard flower over top. The Happy Day sentiment and scalloped border are part of the MME diecut I used.

On my next card, I layered a MME diecut over the patterned paper and added some MME chipboard buttons for accents. Before that, however, I added a PTI Wreath for all Seasons "birthday" stamp to complete my sentiment.

For my next card, I trimmed a piece of MME 6x6 patterned paper and added the "Happy Day" diecut sticker, as well as two MME brads.

And lastly, I came across this older diecut in my stash, but decided that the colours still matched with the other cards. I added a sentiment from PTI's Stylish Sentiments: Birthday stamp set and a couple of MME brads.

Thanks for looking!

3 layouts using diecuts

I came across the March Challenge on the My Mind's Eye Blog and thought that it was one that I should make an effort to participate in. The challenge is to use their pre-printed diecuts on a project. Well, I have a tendency to buy these from time to time, but often forget to use them. So, I pulled out the ones that coordinated with the Tangerine The Sweetest Thing line and make a few layouts.

I thought this would also be good to use some of the papers I bought from that line.... and then realized I was down to only two full sheets left.

I chose some photos that I took on our trip to Vancouver Island last summer... On this layout, I layered the sun diecut along with the layered sticker.

Everything I used is My Mind's Eye....except for the Papertrey Ink button and twine.

For my second layout, once again, I used all My Mind's Eye products, which I had fun layering. Here I used two pre-printed diecuts, as well as some of their chipboard.

And since I didn't have any full sheets of this line left after these two layouts, I decided to create a third layout on the back of this second one. The patterned paper was just too pretty to go to waste!

I used the "so happy together" diecut, as well as some MME stickers..... I'd put the "You two are always together" one on my photo and didn't like it, but when I tried to move it, the backing stayed stuck. So, there it stayed. ;)

I did some pull out journaling, using my PTI Half & Half diecut:

Thanks for looking!