She Sparkles!

My daughter turned 16 this year, and I've been making a few layouts to commemorate this special time in her life.

I used the new Kaisercraft "Remember Me" collection....a beautiful palette of red and black and tan.

The design is based on the Kaisercraft May Saturday Sketch #1 Challenge.  

On the Crafty Power Blog, I shared the simple technique of how to "wear  your adhesive on the outside" by using black glitter with my Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L Crafty Power Tape to create a sparkly border along my stamped lace edges.

It's hard to see the sparkle, but it looks so pretty in real life!

Click HERE to visit the Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L blog to see my step-by-step photo tutorial on how I made this glittery border.

I created this layout during a beautiful weekend away on a Scrapbooking retreat, nestled in the Rockie Mountains, at the wonderful Bull River Guest Ranch.

This is the main lodge where we scrapped and ate the most amazing gourmet meals.

There is a hobby farm too....and this strange smiling goat.

These lovelies helped embellish my layout with their pretty feathers.

No, I didn't pluck them fresh off the birds....I found the feathers while walking around the grounds one sunny afternoon and added them to my layout.

The "S" is glittered too with Craft&Glitz black glitter.

All of the pretty wood embellishments are Kaisercraft also, and I punched those scallop circles with an EK Success punch. 

The heart pin is Maya Road (kindly given to me from Connie Nichol who was scrapping across the table).

In reality, I said, "Hey Connie, your Diamond Glaze bottle is plugged...so she gave me a pin to clear the tip....and never got the pin back because I popped it onto my layout!"  Ha ha! Thank you Connie for all the wood embellies too :)

When I saw the Kaisercraft Saturday sketch, I thought I'd give my daughter some advice in terms of journaling and found the PERFECT Kaisercraft Rub-ons from the "In the Attic" collection.  I LOVE these quotations!

The 'Remember' arrow is a Technique Tuesday stamp.....and there is a funny story behind that too! Another friend from Canadian Scrapbooker magazine, Katharina Doyle, was sitting nearby, and I cannot even remember why I went to talk with her...but I ended up pulling some stamped arrows out of her trash bin! Yep, dumpster diving for layout embellishments! 

I might as well admit that the rest of the Canadian Scrapbooker team helped me out too:  Jackie Ludlage gave me the Crafty Power Tape and black glitter. Oh, and Cathie Allan let me borrow her stamping block. Oops...the scallop punches weren't mine either (I forget whose!)

I guess this layout is truly a group effort! Don't you just love scrapbook retreats and crops??

April Sketchy Challenge

Easter has come and gone, so it must be April!  And that means a new sketch from Sue Sykes over at Canadian Scrapbooker...

I decided to have some fun with the pretty collection "Vintage Bliss" from Simple Stories.

Here is my layout...

BabyOfTheFamily has a wonderful new friend in junior high who has the same goofy sense of humour.  When these two get together, there is lots of laughter and joking around.  I took these pics during one of their sleepovers, and they are both wearing the same 'onesies' pj's...piggy style.

This Simple Stories collection has wonderful patterned papers that I cut apart to embellish my layout. I think I stuck EVERYTHING down with Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L Foam Squares!

I created that fun background with Maya Road twine and a hole punch.  If you would like to see how I did this and also watch how I put this layout together, you can watch this video tutorial.

You can also click HERE to go to YouTube and subscribe to my channel!

If you have a chance, design a layout using this sketch and upload it to the Canadian Scrapbooker Sketchy Challenge.  Click HERE to visit the gallery and find lots of inspiration!

Oh....SNAP!

It's the September Sketchy Challenge over at Canadian Scrapbooker, and here is the wonderful new sketch, designed by Sue Sykes...

On Sue's blog, she has an additional challenge going on, so you can post your Sketchy layout there too!  Click HERE to check it out.

 Here is my layout...

BabyOfTheFamily is transforming before my very eyes.  I feel like I need to capture this.  Sniff. [And she got braces this summer!]

Here's a deep dark design secret I'll share today.  I am afraid of graphic patterns.  Very very afraid.  Give me Graphic 45 flying pigs, fairies and vintage ladies and I'm ok.  But chevrons, dots, dashes....I run SCREAMING!

So I thought I'd finally face my fears and use some Studio Calico/American Crafts paper for the next Canadian Scrapbooker Sketchy Challenge.

  
EEEK!  Polka dots, grids, zigs and zags.....

I also decided to add more stamping to my layouts this year [ has not happened til now] and bought these WONDERFUL new Susan K. Weckesser stamp sets from Unity Stamp Company.  

Congrats Susan!!!  Your stamps are fantastic!

I used 4 of these sets on my layout:  A Little Bit Washi, Splatter It,  Insta-Cute, Celebration of Simple



Unity had a huge promotion last month for the release of Susan's stamps, so I went online and had a great time shopping!  When my package arrived, I was delighted to find these 2 bonus stamp sets tucked inside...

Thank you Unity [Angela!]

I used the polaroid frame stamp from "Insta-Cute"

I stamped both photo frames from the set and decided to use only the polaroid shape.

 But for the second frame, I masked off the argyle/chevron pattern across the bottom.  Here's how...

I used scotch tape across, covering the entire pattern.

I put the tape over the side edges of the stamp

Inked it up with Clearsnap Colorbox "Blackbird" Fluid Chalk Ink.  You can see the ink on the tape mask.

Then I pulled off my mask with tweezers [not that I'm afraid of dirty hands, as you well know!]

Stamped onto this Studio Calico "Executive" grid patterned paper [yep, facing my fears!]

Then used my stamp block to draw in those masked edges with my black marker.

  Love the "Smile" and "Say Cheese" stamps too!

I used the same grid paper to stamp washi tape border strips....

The "Splatter It" stamp and green ink helped me create a unique pattern...

Here's a close up look at all 3 stamped layers together...

And the perfect quote stamp also in Susan's set.

These banner stamps are actually quite large, so I cut them almost in half to create my banner.

 I stamped the banners with Clearsnap "French Blue" Fluid chalk ink onto the "Cubicle" patterned paper.

 LOVE these banner stamps....I have all kinds of design ideas in my head for these :)

American Crafts Thickers "Notarized" chipboard alphabet stickers and Maya Road twine.

I stamped the film and camera images onto transparency and cut them out...

To stamp onto transparency, use a solvent ink pad.[Is it just me or does anyone else LOVE the smell of the StazOn ink pad??]

I'm in LOVE with these itty bitty Studio Calico Wood Veneer people.

 I also have a package of Studio Calico wood veneer frames, so I cut one in half to make brackets for another stamp quote...

Some people don't clean their stamps, but I have these awesome products I bought from Stampin Up a long time ago....

This Stampin' Mist smells wonderful too.

A close up of the the scrub mat inside.

Give your stamp a quick spray

Then rub it around on one side to "clean" and then the other side to "dry".

 Every once in awhile, you can pop out these scrub mats from your case and wash them.

Honestly, I didn't know stamping could be so much fun!  And now I'm feeling a little better about grids, dots and chevrons, too :)  In fact I'm feeling REALLY good....maybe it was all the sniffing of StazOn and Stampin' up mist!

Hope to see you and your creations over at the Canadian Scrapbooker Sketchy Challenge Gallery!