You Are My Home Layout

It's time for another Sketchy Friday over at Scrap Much?.  

I grabbed one of my favs, Simple Stories You and Me to play with this week's sketch. I wanted to use that heart print as a background because it's just so pretty. I splattered on a bit of watercolor before layering on the pretty papers and my big doily. I stitched around the edges with silver thread for some shimmery definition.

My title is a combo of the coordinating Simple Stories stickers and leftover grey Webster's stickers. I added a lot of the Simple Stories stickers, a couple types of washi, and a sprinkling of silver sequins, sparkly rhinestones and bitty sparkles to finish my layout. I hope you'll hop over to Scrap Much? to play along this week! 

Sending Laughs and Love on Mother's Day

True confession time...I'm almost incapable of mailing anything on time. I'm trying to be a better person about going to the Post Office. Does anyone else here struggle with that particular experience? I make cards all the time, but can't mail them on time to save my life. I'm fabulous at email and texting. I love getting snail mail. Yet I seem to lose all adulting function when I have to mail a package. 

This year I've got my Mother's Day cards done early, thanks to the fab sketch over at Retro Sketches. I used the adorable new stamp set from this month's Happy Times special (plus the two sentiments from a retired camera set, but seriously, do you blame me?). I still had the bit and pieces from my next Scrap Much? layout on my desk (it'll post on Friday), so the paper is Bazzill cardstock and a teensy bit of Simple Stories You & Me.

I stamped the flowers and fussy cut all the shapes, putting them together with thin foam tape. I added red acrylic hearts and some tiny red glitter dots, so the Post Office will super love me this week. Cross your fingers for me that these will arrive (mostly) on time!

Scrap Much?! Heart This Man Layout

So last year, when we still lived in Spokane, Becky Higgins Hide and Seek came to our town! I went out and about with Max that day, hoping that I'd be close by to wherever the stash was announced. My husband thought I was mildly nutty, and told me he had a busy morning of meetings so he could not "help me cover downtown." Ahem. Of course, when the post went live, I was fifteen minutes away at Michaels on the east side (priorities), and the drop was like 2 blocks from his office. I texted him my wail of grief, then set off for downtown in case no one else in Spokane was a) a scrapbooker and b) an instagrammer. John hopped off his meeting to trot over to the park and nabbed the prize. Even better (perhaps not in his world view, but still..) he got to meet Stacy Julian, who said that she knew he must be a scrapping husband by the way he entered the park (in his engineer wear) headed in a beeline for the Big Red Wagon with no child in sight. That's him on the Becky Higgins Insta feed, and he graciously shared "his" prize with me! 

I used so many lines for this week's new Scrap Much? sketch. There's some Crate Paper Confetti in there, some Simple Stories Heart, a bit of Authentique Woodgrain, plus gold foiled dot and chevron washi tapes. That diagonal woodgrain with the hints of aqua is so gorgeous! I'm linking this page up to the Paper Issues Into the Woods Issue.

My new favorite gold BoBunny Glitter paste joined in the fun too - it looks fab against that textured black cardstock! The Simple Stories stickers look like gold glitter too. I trimmed that diamond motif out of a 4x6 card. I also added some gold and black Fundamentals stickers. I used white pigment ink to stamp tiny letters onto the black glitter circles to complete my title. I finished off with a scattering of the teensiest gold Pretty Pink Posh sequins. 

Here's the sketch - now go forth and create!

Scrap Much? Let It Snow Simple Stories Layout

Happy Friday, Stampin' Friends! Today is the release of another fabulous sketch over at Scrap Much?!

I have been hoarding this Simple Stories Snow Patrol line until I could get these particular pictures of my boys printed. I tried and tried to take good sledding pics of them, but everything was blurry or (of course) they weren't looking at me. Then I got clever, and had them each pose by flinging themselves onto the huge snowdrift next to the front porch where we piled all the snow as we shoveled the driveway. Ready? Action! Eye contact!!

Seriously, how can you not love this adorable snowman motif? Next time we build a snowman, he's going to be saying "YAY!" like this guy. I added a bit of Doodlebug doily and a Glacier Fundamentals wooden sign. I finished off the cluster with a combo of glitter dots ('cause I love glitter) and pewter stick on studs ('cause occasionally I gotta admit I'm scrapping boys). I stitched down my layout with four strands of metallic red embroidery thread mixed with a single strand of my favorite silver sewing thread for some extra sparkle. Make sure you poke the stitch holes really well with a foam mat if you try that - I super love how the thick stitch looks, but it's murder on the fingertips of you haven't pierced the holes big enough. I wanted to continue it around the layout edge like the sketch shows, but I couldn't bring myself to stitch over that lovely snowflake border...for now...

I trimmed another size of the adorable snowman out of one of the pocket scrapbooking cards included in my Snow Patrol pack. I wish he were a stamp! I actually had trimmed up another card to add a title when I realized I'd overlooked this beautiful scripty sticker title on the coordinating sticker sheet. 

 Don't you just love this sketch? If it inspires you too, make a page and hop over to Scrap Much? to link up your creation! 

Day 335: Scrap Much Simple Stories Darling Layout

Oh my golly! As soon as I saw this You & Me Line by Simple Stories I was dying to get my inky paws onto this paper goodness! It's so gorgeous I bought it twice in one day! 

Combined with the new Scrap Much? Sketch, how could anything but utter adorableness result? I used it to scrap our anniversary last year.

Look at all the elements in the prints...I {heart} this stitch detail! All I added was some thin 3-D Foam tape and a bit of clear glitter gel. I did do some fussy cutting of the pocket scrapbooking cards from the kit to make everything fit the sketch.

I hope you'll grab this sketch and come play along too!

Day 332: Sweet Thank You Card

I was working on my card to the bog hop tomorrow using this adorable Springtime Wishes stamp set. When I was done, I just wasn't done, so I whipped up this quick bonus card.

I used a tiny swiss dot pattern from my Simple Stories I Am pad. I stamped the sentiments down the card off center, then layered on strips of the patterned paper. I stamped the flowers and colored them using a waterbrush before cutting them out using the coordinating Thin Cuts dies.

I used Corri's Sketch from Paper Issues for this card. My color choices were inspired by the Just Us Girls color challenge. I love it when everything comes together!

Day 329: So Happy Birthday to You Card

I've decided that I love cleaning out my studio. As I discover bits and pieces of beloved past lines I'm feeling inspired to craft anew and use it up!

First I found this 1/2 inch BIRTHDAY strip trimmed from a PML pocket scrapbooking card that apparently I just couldn't throw away. then I ran across my Simple Stories I AM 6x6 pad, and I realized the colors worked together pretty well. Next thing I knew, I had a card!

I used bits and pieces from Crazy Good to fill in my sentiment. Then I added some gold sequins topped with pale grey enamel dots.finally I went back and added the stitch detail, which would have been easier to do before adding the sentiment...sometimes you gotta step back in to define the edges, you know?  The packing is going on in earnest now with the movers coming a week from Tuesday, so who knows what I'll find this week! I'm linking this card up to the Seize the Birthday Clean and Simple challenge. 

Day 321: Scrap Much? Christmas Joy Layout

Welcome to another new Scrap Much? sketch day! This one is so adorable, I knew I wanted to use it for my ongoing framed page project. I got these 9x9 frames at Ikea forever ago, and they are only partially filled (though hung empty on the wall), so I had to get a little creative with the sizing to make the project fit my frame.

I mounted everything on a kraft cardstock base. The papers are from the Simple Stories Cozy Christmas 6x6 pad. 

The snowflake is wood veneer from American Crafts, and the doily is Doodlebug. I think this tree is one of my favorite images from the pad!

There's also a super lovely page that has these ornaments as a border across the top...and yes, I did fussy cut each element out and rearrange it across the top of the page to fill in the banner element of the sketch. I used the second sheet of the print to help me place the border back together. I added a gold foil overlay for the title, and lots of bitty rhinestone sparkles and glitter gel pen accents.

Here's the original sketch. I hope you'll hop over to Scrap Much? to play along with this new challenge!

Day 300: Enjoy the Here and Now Layout

I'm excited to share with you another Scrap Much? layout sketch challenge!

I have been hoarding a bit of BoBunny's You're Invited line for a while. Finally I decided that this sketch was the one worth cutting into this beautiful paper! I had to scootch things a bit to make room for the photo strips I wanted to use on this page, but I think I managed to keep the spirit of this pretty sketch intact. 

I mixed in a bit of the Simple Stories I Am 6x6 pad as well. You can see here that I grabbed some of the subtitling as well as some of the banners from that pad. 

Here's the sketch! I hope you love it enough to hop over to Scrap Much? and play along!

Day 294: Be Merry Snowman Card

So after I finished last night's card I thought it would be fun to make another of these non stamping cards using my Simple Stories 6x6 pad... 

So I grabbed a few scraps and some of the small square/rectangular "cards" plus a bunch of washi tape and in a few minutes I had this guy. I trimmed the sentiment out of an ornament card and added him to a Fundamental Basics word bubble sticker.  

After I layered on the washi "stripes" I popped on a few sequins, then filled them with glitter gel. I squished the gel with my fingertip to scatter the glitter. I added a few last dots of shimmer gel pen around my sequins, and to highlight details on the snowman and ornaments. I'm linking this card up to the Just Us Girls sequins trend week challenge.

Day 293: Wish You a Merry Christmas Tree Quick Card

Tonight's card may just be the fastest card I've every made. No joke - less than five minutes.

I saw this week's CAS(E) this Sketch challenge and it made me thing of my Simple Stories Cozy Christmas 6x6 pad. I've been saving this Christmas Tree for the right fussy cutting opportunity! First I layered the card front with this pretty snow and pine bough print.

After that I fussy cut the tree image, then I carefully separated the Merry Christmas sentiment banner and popped it up with some foam tape before adhering the rest of the tree to the card. I added some touched of clear shimmer gel pen to the star, and as dotted banners across the tree image. The shimmer is really nice and festive in real life!

Day 286: Scrap Much Holly Jolly Layout

So just a quick disclaimer on the photography before I tell you about this layout I made for the new Scrap Much? Sketch. In the page protector this page looks fine. Out of the protector it warps and I could not get a straight picture of the page. I even ironed the page background...sometimes you gotta just go with it, I guess!  

In any case it was the watercolor on the background that brought me to this place. I washed some really watery red that I blended out of two reds across this pretty Simple Stories Pumpkin Spice wood grain paper. Then I splattered it with more of the custom red I had mixed and some dark grey watercolor to boot. I let it dry a bit, then ironed the paper. That did not take out the warping... probably because I used a lot of watercolor on a printed patterned paper. Again - in the protector it flattens out nicely and looks fine. I also stamped onto the layout, replacing the scalloped border with a stamped sentiment along the bottom, and adding snowflakes to the beige tag under the title.

Onto my wood grain I layered papers from the Moxie Seasons Greetings Line. I am in LOVE with this delicate snowflake design. I added some American Crafts wooden snow pieces, painted with Clear Wink of Stella and accented with clear rhinestones.  The shimmer in real life is just lovely.

This is the new Scrap Much? sketch - I hope you'll pop over to Scrap Much? and share your creation, too!

Day 272: Scrap Much Grouchy Face Layout

Today I'm sharing my second layout for the Scrap Much? Design team. This week's sketch is so adorable, much like the faces Max is making in my layout! I think my favorite one is where he got his head stuck in the back seat of the car because he was so grouchy at me!

I started out with some Simple Stories wood grain paper - I love, love, love all the colors in the multi pack I got, with one side colored woodgrain and the other in gingham! I wanted that big circle to be subtle, so I stitched it freehand with my sewing machine a bunch of times. Then I daubed on some white ink and added some sketch heart stamps from one of my favorite stamp sets. I added my layers in using the Echo Park My Little Boy papers. 

I made the flowers by layering three to four simple Cricut flower shapes and topping them off with grey enamel gems. I trimmed the cuteness sentiment out of an Echo Park journaling card. I also pulled in some of the Simple Stories gingham in the handcut leaves, banners, and under my Little Yellow Bicycle Burlap title letters. When I was making this layout I accidentally printed our that picture of Max on a full letter sized sheet of paper. I didn't want to use it like that, but I couldn't toss it...so we've been pinning it up all over the house and telling the boys, "Max does not approve!" in silly voices all week, cracking ourselves up. 

Here's the awesome sketch - I hope you'll be inspired to share a page over at the Scrap Much? blog too!

Day 245: Be Merry Holiday Card

Today I took a quick trip over to Scrapper's Attic and got some fun new goodies, including this Simple Stories 6x6 pad called Cozy Christmas. 

I started with the cute new sketch from Retrosketches. I added a base of snowflake paper, and stripes of dots, green shimmer trim, and a preprinted banner with the be merry sentiment, I slid a clear acrylic CELEBRATE sentiment under the wood grain banner.

I added two White Pines chipboard trees with thin 3-D foam tape. Then I patted on some clear glitter gel and added some touched of clear shimmer gel pen. It was so fast and easy!